Elston Turner

A 6'5" (1.96 m) shooting guard–small forward from the University of Mississippi, leading Ole Miss to its first ever NCAA Tournament in his senior year, Turner was selected in the second round (43rd overall) of the 1981 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks, and played in eight NBA seasons from 1981 to 1989, for the Mavericks, the Denver Nuggets, and the Chicago Bulls. He also coached and played in the CBA—as an assistant coach for the Quad City Thunder and as a player–coach for the Chicago Rockers. He also played professionally in Europe.

Turner later moved to the NBA, with the Sacramento Kings (six years) and the Portland Trail Blazers (four). In 2007, he rejoined Rick Adelman's staff at the Houston Rockets.^[1]

In 2008, Turner was interviewed twice^[2] for the Phoenix Suns' head coach position that became vacant when Mike D'Antoni left,^[1] but was not hired.^[3]

In 2009, Turner was interviewed for the vacant Minnesota Timberwolves head coach position.^[4] Turner, Mark Jackson, and Los Angeles Lakers assistant Kurt Rambis were the three finalists for the job,^[5] and Rambis was the Wolves' ultimate choice.^[6][7]

In 2010, Turner was interviewed for both the Philadelphia 76ers'^[8] and the Chicago Bulls' vacant head coaching positions.^[7] They were eventually taken by Doug Collins and Tom Thibodeau, respectively.^[9] Also in 2010, the Rockets allowed Turner to talk to the L.A. Clippers about its vacant head coaching job.^[9]

In 2011, Turner was interviewed for a defensive coordinator position for the Phoenix Suns along with the Milwaukee Bucks' coordinator Jim Boylan, the San Antonio Spurs' coordinator Don Newman, and the Golden State Warriors' coordinator Pete Myers.^[10] Turner signed a two-year contract, becoming the Suns' fifth assistant head coach, with Bill Cartwright, Dan Majerle, Igor Kokoškov, and Noel Gillespie.

In 2012, Turner was interviewed for the Portland Trail Blazers' head coach position.^[11] He, Terry Stotts, Steve Clifford, and then-interim coach Kaleb Canales were the four finalists for the job.^[12] Ultimately, Turner was not hired.^[13] In January 2013, he resigned from his position with Phoenix. In September 2013, the Memphis Grizzlies hired him as an assistant coach.^[14]

In 2016, Turner rejoined the Sacramento Kings as an assistant coach.^[15] In 2019, he returned to the Rockets as the lead assistant coach who was added to focus on running defense—former assistant Jeff Bzdelik’s role.^[16]

On August 31, 2021, Turner joined the Minnesota Timberwolves as an assistant coach.^[17]

Turner is a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity. His son, Elston Turner Jr., played guard for the University of Washington Huskies men's basketball team from 2008 to 2010. He transferred to Texas A&M University for his junior and senior seasons.^[18]

• NBA.com coachfile
• Stats at BasketballReference
• Basketpedya career data