What NBA Record Did Myles Turner Crack?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Lance Roberson | Last updated Dec 27, 2024 2:49 PM ET

As a pillar of the Indiana Pacers, Myles Turner represents three eras of the franchise. Turner took the reigns on defense in his 10 seasons with the Pacers. Despite the lower-ranking defenses of the past few seasons, Turner remains one of the few players Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle can deploy on opposing offenses. Turner cracked an all-time NBA static vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday.

Although the Pacers lost to the Thunder 120-114 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Turner exhibited a forceful display of rim protection.

The Pacers center recorded a dominant five blocks at the expense of the best team in the Western Conference. In addition to his five rejections, Turner grabbed 11 rebounds. Even in a loss, Turner went down swinging and swatting.

Turner's exceptional effort catapulted the veteran center into historic territory.

The Pacers center is now among the top 50 NBA players of all time in total blocks. Turner passed Cleveland Cavaliers legend and one of LeBron James' favorite former teammates, Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

His elite rim protection has earned him a career total of 1332 blocks. Despite a rush of recent trade rumors, the pillar of the Pacers' defense hasn't released his lock. Despite never making an All-Defensive team, Turner finished in the top 10 for Defensive Player of the Year award votes on two occasions.

Given the significant number of Pacers backcourt injuries, Turner is the last line of defense in every sense of the word.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: