Myles Turner: Pro athletes responsible to have voice on social issues
Indiana Pacers rookie Myles Turner has agreed to give IndyStar’s Nate Taylor an exclusive look into his life off the court, via an offseason diary that Turner hopes will show Pacers fans more of his personality. His first diary entry (below) is after he flew to Los Angeles this week to attend the ESPY Awards and the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.
The experience went really well. I enjoyed my time among the celebrities. It was a cool experience for my first time.
What surprised me was how everyone handled themselves and carried themselves. We’re all celebrities, but that hasn’t really all sunk in with me yet, the fact that I’m just another one of the celebrities out there. I grew up watching a lot of these guys.
It was pretty special sitting close to Paul George during the ESPYs just because we’re creating a bond that is more than just teammates. We’re starting to get cool with one another off the court a little bit and that’s important for our chemistry on the court next season.
As far as the ESPYs opening, I didn’t see that coming at all, with Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James on stage calling for an end to gun violence and for athletes to be more active in creating change. Their message was obviously strong.
Carmelo, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, LeBron make powerful statement for social change at the ESPYS
It was definitely an inspiring speech to see it come from athletes in the NBA in light of the recent events. It was pretty cool to see how far our outreach and platforms can be and the success the NBA has taken to keep the name of the game where it really matters – that’s speaking out to the fans and speaking to people in America.
My hometown of Dallas is on my mind at all times. The events that took place were obviously very tragic. I voiced my opinion on Twitter because I care.
I definitely felt like there was a need for me to speak up about my city, but at the same time it was a chain reaction of all the other events in Baton Rouge, La., and Falcon Heights, Minn., that had taken place earlier last week. To see the shooting happen right there, and it to be in my hometown, I felt sad and I hope that doesn’t happen again to law enforcement.
I feel it’s my duty to share the knowledge that I learned so that I can also share it with people and they can appeal to my generation. In that regard, yes, I feel it’s a responsibility as a professional athlete to have a voice on social issues. At the same time, my platform is still growing. Some people will listen, but not all. I’m not like a LeBron James where he has almost billions of people listening to him. Any time I can pitch in, and can give my two cents, I’ll try.
Basketball doesn’t define who I am as a person.
Craig Sager’s acceptance speech for the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance was also touching for a number of reasons as he continues his battle with cancer. That was really inspiring and really cool. To see how many people Craig can reach with just his voice, being amongst that crowd, it was almost like he was giving us a commencement speech. That’s what it felt like. It was almost surreal. It was such a great speech about how to live your life.
My family is definitely loving the new lifestyle that we’re in, but it hasn’t changed who we are as a family and we promised that this lifestyle wouldn’t break us apart, as it’s very capable of doing. We’ve been cherishing every part.
Just being able to experience everything with my family this past year, such as bringing my sister Mya to Los Angeles for the Kid Choice awards Thursday, has been a blessing. My family is a huge reason of the fact of where I am today. For them to be able to experience everything with me is pretty cool, so I’m just bringing them along for the ride. That’s been the most fun part of all of this.
Call IndyStar reporter Nate Taylor at (317) 444-6484. Follow him on Twitter @ByNateTaylor