Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner holds his first basketball camp in Indiana: 'Camps are my passion'
WESTFIELD — Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner holds basketball camps whenever he can, and they are typically near his hometown in Dallas, Texas. But on Thursday, he hosted a camp in the Indianapolis area for the first time since joining the Pacers.
At the Pacers Athletic Center in Westfield, Indiana, Turner ran a basketball camp for kids aged six to 16. It lasted for four hours, with the NBA veteran being there for three himself. He took photos with campers, gave them life advice, and taught them basketball skills.
"Camps, more than anything, are like my passion," Turner said. He held his first camp of the offseason just over a week ago, and Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle was in attendance. "I've done a lot of them in the Texas area, but it's my first time doing it in Indianapolis... I'm glad I'm finally able to bring it to my market. I've been here, my second home, for eight years now."
Turner has been with the Pacers since they drafted him in 2015. At the time, he was just a 19-year old who had only been away from home for about a year. Now, he's 27 and has been in Indiana for eight years.
He mentioned that he has basically grown up in Indy, so it is significant that the big man was able to host a camp in the city for the first time. He has held them in Texas as often as he can in the past, with only the pandemic and national team requirements getting in the way.
The camp started with kids warming up before Turner addressed them with a message. He emphasizes life skills at his camp, and he made it clear that respect would be important to him all day. The Pacers center also shared a story about how working hard in school was important in his upbringing, and he encouraged others to do the same. Some schools in the Indianapolis area have already started their school year.
"Well, basketball should be the fun part, right? But then, as kids are growing up and whatnot, you have to learn to use basketball as a tool," Turner said of teaching life skills. "I'm just trying to instill in their heads at a young age how to treat people."
Afterwards, the kids broke out into groups that taught all kinds of basketball skills. At the station Turner was running, campers had to work on the combination of ball handling, passing, and running around a screen. They would then receive a pass from Turner before attempting a shot.
Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner speaks with campers at his basketball camp in Indiana. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Tony East)
Before any of that though, Turner took a picture with every camper that came through his station. He wanted to make it a big event for all of the attendees.
Just to the left after walking into the facility, there are two giant signs featuring two Pacers players. One is All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton, who held his camp in Indianapolis three-and-a-half weeks ago. The other is Turner. Those two were the best players on Indiana's roster last season and two of the faces of the program going forward.
"It just means the city is embracing me, like I've embraced them," Turner said of the large image of himself. "It really is my second home at this point," he added of Indiana, re-stating his point from earlier.
For Turner, basketball has taken him all over the world. In this offseason alone, he has been to Italy, Las Vegas, Dallas, Denver, and several other places. He wants others to experience the game in the same way he has.
That's why he is so passionate about his campers. He knows there are tons of opportunities that can come from the sport, and Turner hopes he can open those doors for others.
"There's so much to basketball. There's so many jobs around basketball," he said. Turner, of course, has one of the most public-facing ones as the starting center for the Pacers. But on Thursday, he was an instructor and a coach as he brought his basketball camp to his second home for the first time.
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