| Minnesota Timberwolves | |
|---|---|
| Title | Assistant coach |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1959-06-10) June 10, 1959 Knoxville, Tennessee, U. S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Austin-East (Knoxville, Tennessee) |
| College | Ole Miss (1977–1981) |
| NBA draft | 1981: 2nd round, 43rd overall pick |
| Drafted by | Dallas Mavericks |
| Playing career | 1981–1995 |
| Position | Shooting guard / small forward |
| Number | 33, 20, 21 |
| Coaching career | 1994–present |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1981–1984 | Dallas Mavericks |
| 1984–1986 | Denver Nuggets |
| 1986–1988 | Chicago Bulls |
| 1988–1989 | Denver Nuggets |
| 1989–1990 | Rockford Lightning |
| 1990 | Granollers |
| 1990 | Scavolini Pesaro |
| 1990–1991 | Apollon Patras |
| 1992–1995 | Wichita Falls Texans / Chicago Rockers |
Coaching | |
| 1994–1995 | Chicago Rockers |
| 1995–1996 | Quad City Thunder (assistant) |
| 1996–2000 | Portland Trail Blazers (assistant) |
| 2000–2006 | Sacramento Kings (assistant) |
| 2007–2011 | Houston Rockets (assistant) |
| 2011–2013 | Phoenix Suns (assistant) |
| 2013–2016 | Memphis Grizzlies (assistant) |
| 2016–2019 | Sacramento Kings (assistant) |
| 2019–2020 | Houston Rockets (assistant) |
| 2021–present | Minnesota Timberwolves (assistant) |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 2,397 (4.7 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,375 (2.7 rpg) |
| Assists | 914 (1.7 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Elston Howard Turner Sr. (born June 10, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player who is an assistant coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Playing career
A 6-foot-5-inch (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.
Coaching career
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]
Personal
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]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
Source[19]
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–82 | Dallas | 80 | 62 | 25.0 | .441 | .000 | .703 | 3.8 | 2.4 | .9 | .0 | 8.3 |
| 1982–83 | Dallas | 59 | 16 | 14.9 | .403 | .667 | .667 | 2.6 | 1.5 | .8 | .0 | 3.6 |
| 1983–84 | Dallas | 47 | 1 | 11.4 | .360 | .111 | .824 | 2.0 | 1.3 | .6 | .0 | 2.9 |
| 1984–85 | Denver | 81 | 2 | 18.4 | .466 | .167 | .785 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 1.2 | .1 | 5.1 |
| 1985–86 | Denver | 73 | 0 | 18.1 | .435 | .000 | .736 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 1.0 | .1 | 5.1 |
| 1986–87 | Chicago | 70 | 4 | 13.4 | .444 | .125 | .742 | 1.6 | 1.5 | .4 | .1 | 3.5 |
| 1987–88 | Chicago | 17 | 0 | 5.8 | .267 | – | .500 | .6 | .5 | .5 | .0 | 1.0 |
| 1988–89 | Denver | 78 | 12 | 22.4 | .428 | .286 | .589 | 3.7 | 1.8 | 1.2 | .1 | 4.3 |
| Career | 505 | 97 | 17.8 | .432 | .152 | .714 | 2.7 | 1.8 | .9 | .1 | 4.7 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Dallas | 8 | 6.6 | .350 | – | – | 1.3 | 1.0 | .8 | .1 | 1.8 | |
| 1985 | Denver | 15 | 4 | 23.9 | .490 | 1.000 | .632 | 4.9 | 3.1 | 1.1 | .1 | 7.6 |
| 1986 | Denver | 10 | 0 | 19.6 | .537 | 1.000 | .875 | 2.9 | 2.2 | .7 | .0 | 6.6 |
| 1987 | Chicago | 3 | 0 | 8.3 | .800 | – | – | .7 | .3 | .7 | .0 | 2.7 |
| 1988 | Chicago | 4 | 0 | 7.3 | .167 | – | – | 1.3 | 1.5 | .0 | .0 | .5 |
| 1989 | Denver | 3 | 0 | 24.7 | .462 | .000 | .333 | 3.7 | 1.0 | .3 | .0 | 4.7 |
| Career | 43 | 4 | 17.1 | .485 | .750 | .636 | 3.0 | 2.0 | .8 | .0 | 5.1 | |
Notes
- ^ a b "Suns interview Rockets assistant coach Turner". ESPN.com. May 22, 2008.
- ^ "Suns complete coaching interviews". ESPN.com.
- ^ "Pistons assistant Porter picked as Suns' new coach". ESPN.com. June 7, 2008.
- ^ "Wolves talk to Rockets assistant for coach gig". ESPN.com. July 14, 2009.
- ^ "Owner: Wolves nearing decision on head coach". ESPN.com. August 3, 2009.
- ^ "Timberwolves will install Rambis as new coach". ESPN.com. August 9, 2009.
- ^ a b "NBA.com: Sources: Bulls interview Rockets' Turner about vacancy". NBA.com.
- ^ "76ers interview Rockets assistant coach Turner". ESPN.com. May 14, 2010.
- ^ a b "Report: Rockets aide Turner on Clippers' radar". ESPN.com. June 25, 2010.
- ^ "Phoenix Suns hire Elston Turner as new defensive assistant coach".
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Trail Blazers' coaching search down to four finalists: Stotts, Turner, Clifford, Canales". July 26, 2012.
- ^ "Report: Terry Stotts, Kaleb Canales finalists for Blazers' head coaching job | SI Tracking Blog – Tracking MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, and NCAA on Twitter". Archived from the original on August 4, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
- ^ "Grizzlies announce coaching staff". www.nba.com.
- ^ "Kings Announce Coaching Staff for 2016-17 Season". NBA.com. June 3, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
- ^ Feigen, Jonathan (June 27, 2019). "Source: Elston Turner to return to Rockets as lead assistant". www.chron.com. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
- ^ "Minnesota Timberwolves Announce Coaching Staff Additions". NBA.com. August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
- ^ Ex-Huskies reserve guard Elston Turner moves to Texas A&M
- ^ "Elston Turner NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
External links
- NBA.com coachfile
- Stats at BasketballReference
- Basketpedya career data[dead link]
