Though Sacramento head coach Dave Joerger is new to the team, he has brought with him a face that many Kings fans may remember.
Elston Turner will be serving as Coach Joerger’s lead assistant, after having spent the last three seasons alongside him on the bench with the Memphis Grizzlies. He also spent six seasons in Sacramento from 2000 to 2006 as an assistant.
After excelling at Ole Miss as a shooting guard, Turner was drafted in the second round by the Dallas Mavericks in 1981 and went on to enjoy a 14-year professional playing career with the Mavs, Denver Nuggets and Chicago Bulls.
Starting in 1994, Turner began working his way up through the coaching ladder, serving as a player/coach for the Chicago Rockers of the CBA (Continental Basketball Association). He would then earn his first opportunity in the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1996.
After a four-season tenure with Portland, Turner joined the Kings - spending six seasons on Sacramento’s coaching staff, assisting then head coach Rick Adelman. During his time with the Kings, Turner was also a part of the Western Conference All-Star coaching staff in both 2001 and 2003.
The former second round pick would continue his work in Houston under Coach Adelman and Phoenix under head coach Alvin Gentry. The Tennessee native then joined Coach Joerger in Memphis in 2013 in the role of lead assistant coach.
Now, Coach Joerger has called upon Turner once again to head up the assistant staff in Sacramento, adding a coach with 35 years of professional basketball experience under his belt.
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