Myles Turner joins SiriusXM NBA Radio to talk Team USA, Indiana Pacers
During a recent episode of SiriusXM NBA Radio, Myles Turner joined Frank Isola and Brian Scalabrine to talk about Team USA and the Indiana Pacers.
The conversation started with Myles discussing the posts that he made following Team USA’s loss to France. He highlighted the fact that he took a leadership role with the team and wanted to stand up for his teammates.
“I am one of the leaders on this team. It’s something, I know I’m only 23-years-old and I’m one of the younger guys, but I may have been one of the leaders on this team coming up,” Myles said “As a leader, I feel like you have to take a position, take a stand somewhere or fall for nothing at that. Quite frankly, I was just tired of the ignorance.
“We were in a tough position from the gate. Nobody gave us a chance from the jump. That was fine, we used it as fuel. I was tired of everyone discrediting every man on this roster. We sacrificed our bodies, our mental, our futures, our entire summers just to come up here and put those three letters across our chest. Represent the people of our nation and represent the basketball that is played there.”
“Granted, we came up short but there’s so much fire on this team. We got down like what 36 to like 5 in the first quarter? Anybody could have just said ‘alright, you know, it’s just a consolation game, let’s go home’, but we fought hard the entire game and had a chance to win that game. I think the way that we play speaks volumes to this group.”
“I had to take to social media to the fans for the people on this team because it’s one thing hearing it from [Gregg] Popovich, it’s another hearing from the source, the people that are in that locker room hurting, the people that are feeling that they let their country down. That was really my stand to it. I felt that I had to step up.”
The social media posts that Myles alluded to in this interview were the in defense of his teammates on Team USA. He noted that each player sacrificed a lot to dedicate themselves to competing in the FIBA World Cup and that they were the ones that stepped up when others dropped out.
The conversation shifted to discussing the Indiana Pacers. Myles was asked about how the rehab of teammate Victor Oladipo and he stated his belief that the All-Star will return ‘a lot sooner than what people think.’
“I know Vic’s definitely looking forward to getting back on the floor,” he said. “He keeps taking it one step at a time and he’ll be back a lot sooner than what people think. We definitely don’t want him to rush but we are going to need him out there to be the team that we think we can be and the team that we want to be.”
Lastly, they discussed what is next for Myles after the FIBA World Cup concludes. He mentioned that he has about a week before the start of training camp with the Indiana Pacers and that the team has a few preseason games in India.
“Probably get about a week off then we will start training camp. The Pacers are actually going to India. Mumbai, India on the first [of September]. So that’s another 15-hour flight for me. We go out there and have a back-to-back out there against Sacramento in two games then fly back 16 hours, I believe. Then get ready for the grind of the season. It’s a big sacrifice everything that we are doing but I’m doing it for a good cause. I’m not complaining one bit.”
There are a few important upcoming dates for Myles. The Pacers have media day on Sept. 27 and training camp opens on Sept. 28. Their preseason begins on Oct. 4 with a matchup against the Sacramento Kings in Mumbai.
