A former Indiana Pacers center is stepping into a bigger spotlight across the league.
Myles Turner has been elected the newest NBPA vice president, taking over for Garrett Temple, who retired after the 2025-26 season. That move puts Turner in a position to serve as one of the key voices for NBA players moving forward.
Turner’s playing days in Indiana covered the first 10 seasons of his career before he left in the 2025 offseason to sign a four-year, $108.9 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks. During his time with the Pacers, he built a strong résumé: 13.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 2.1 blocks per game, while shooting 49.4 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from three.
His final season in Indiana was one of his best. Turner averaged 15.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and two blocks per game, and he hit 48.1 percent of his shots overall and 39.6 percent from deep. He was also part of the Pacers team that reached the NBA Finals before falling in seven games to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Turner gave Indiana real value as a rim protector and a stretch big, even if he was never known as a top-tier rebounder or screen-setter. When the Pacers went looking for those traits, they found them in the deadline trade with the Los Angeles Clippers that brought Ivica Zubac into the picture.
Zubac’s production has been strong. In the 2025-26 season, he played 48 games and posted 14.1 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 59.8 percent from the floor. The season before, he put up 16.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 blocks per game on 62.8 percent shooting, and he earned All-Defensive Second Team honors.
Both big men defend well, but they bring different tools to the table. Turner offered spacing that Zubac does not, while Zubac gives Indiana more screen-setting and work on the glass. That could help the Pacers create more chances to run, and Tyrese Haliburton will be the one tasked with building that chemistry in the 2026-27 season.
Turner may be in Milwaukee now, but his influence isn’t leaving the NBA anytime soon. As the new NBPA vice president, he’ll still have a major say in the league’s future.
In Other News...
Tyrese Haliburton Just Reminded Everyone What The Pacers Still Depend On
Even with Anthony Edwards having the flashier highlight reel, Dean Olivers latest look at the 2020 NBA Draft class puts Tyrese Haliburton squarely in the center of the debate for best player from that group. The ESPN analytics writer points to several player metrics where Haliburton comes out ahead, a reminder of how quickly the Pacers point guard has turned himself into the kind of player who changes the temperature of a franchise. Since arriving in Indiana in 2022, he has already piled up two All-NBA Third Team selections and two All-Star nods, and the teams drop-off without him has made his value impossible to ignore.
For the Pacers, the bigger question is less about the rsum and more about what comes next. Haliburton signed a five-year extension in 2023, but there is still speculation about how Indiana will ease him into the upcoming season, which matters because the offense and the bigger picture around the roster still revolve around him. However the Pacers manage the early stretch, they are making it clear that their ceiling still starts with Haliburton. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Fans Suddenly Have Real Reason To Watch James Johnson
James Johnson showed up at the Pacers players-only mini camp in Nashville, and that alone was enough to turn a few heads. For a team that values continuity and a steady voice in the room, the sight of a familiar veteran in that setting was notable, especially since Johnson already has a history in Indiana and has long been regarded as a player whose influence extends well beyond the box score.
Johnsons presence naturally raises the question of what comes next, even if nothing official has been announced yet for the 2026-27 NBA season. The Pacers know what theyd be getting in a player like him: leadership, professionalism and a strong locker room presence. For now, his appearance at the mini camp is the clearest hint that there may be more to this story, and fans will be watching closely to see whether it leads to a reunion. [Read more 🡒]
Tyrese Haliburton Just Gave Pacers Fans A Reason To Believe Again
Tyrese Haliburtons return is already giving the Pacers something they did not have for most of last season: a clear reason to look ahead. After missing the year with an Achilles tear, he is expected back in the lineup next season, and a recent video of his recovery offered another encouraging sign that he is moving well. Add in the five-year contract extension he signed with Indiana, and the long-term picture around the franchise suddenly feels a lot steadier.
Haliburton has also been open about what the injury process has been like, discussing the experience on a podcast as he works his way back. For a Pacers team projected to bring a strong starting group into the new season, his presence changes everything from the pace of the offense to the ceiling of the roster. The bigger question now is not whether Indiana has its point guard for the future, but how quickly he can rejoin a team that may be ready to make noise again. [Read more 🡒]