Sixers

Former Sixers No. 2 Overall Pick Evan Turner Still Can’t Stand Philadelphia

By Sean Barnard

Published: Mar 30th, 2026 · 9:21 PM EDT

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Ahead of tonight’s Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers matchup, Evan Turner was a part of the pregame media coverage for Peacock. The 2010 second overall pick was asked to give his prediction for the Eastern Conference clash and, unprompted, offered that he can’t stand Philadelphia before begrudgingly predicting the Sixers to win.

"I can't stand Philadelphia" – Evan Turner on NBC pregame pic.twitter.com/T5mJlC4USI

— Nick Piccone (@_piccone) March 30, 2026

The “beef” between Turner and Philly is pretty funny.

The Sixers drafted Turner with the hopes that he would be a face of the franchise for years to come. After having wild success as essentially a one-man show during his three years at Ohio State, the 6-foot-7 wing had a style of play that did not translate to the next level.

Turner played four seasons for the Sixers, suiting up for 279 total games. He posted averages of 11.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game across 29.7 minutes per game. The now 37-year-old shot 31.5% from beyond the three-point arc and 42.8% from the field across his Sixers’ career. His best statistical season came in the 2013-14 season, where he averaged 17.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists across his first 54 games. Philadelphia pulled the plug on the Evan Turner experience by trading him to the Pacers midseason, along with Lavoy Allen, in a deal that brought back Danny Granger and a second round pick as ‘The Process” era started to fully take shape.

Sure, you could nitpick and point to how Doug Collins stubbornly used Turner in the offense. He was always a weird positional fit dating back to his college days, and Turner surely would have gripes with how he was asked to play within the offense. Or how there were flaws in the overall roster where the highest level of talent he played with were players like Jrue Holiday, Elton Brand, and Andre Iguodala. It was an era where the Sixers lived in basketball purgatory that drove the organization to the level of desperation that sparked Sam Hinkie’s brain child. It was also an era that was triggered largely because the player they drafted second overall was nothing more than a glorified role player with a style of play that did not translate to winning basketball.

Turner ultimately went on to play 10 seasons in the NBA, suiting up for the Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, Portland Trail Blazers, and Atlanta Hawks after his time in Philadelphia. He had his best season after leaving with the Celtics in 2015-16, where he averaged 10.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.4 assists, while finishing fifth in Sixth Man of the Year voting.

It is a credit to Turner that he has built a career post basketball as a regular media voice. This is even more impressive considering he sounds like he is gargling marbles every time he opens his mouth. The reality is Turner would have been a bust, by his second-overall pick standard, regardless of what city he was drafted too. It didn’t work in Philadelphia and, in the wider scale of the conversation, didn’t really work in four other cities either. There are players every year who can look like they are on another level when facing college-level talent, and look like just a guy when you actually get the chance in the league. Turner falls into this category.

But one thing that should be made clear about Turner is that he clearly thinks much more about the city of Philadelphia than anyone in the city of Philadelphia thinks about him. This was not a Ben Simmons situation where he showed promise and his career took a turn, nor a Markelle Fultz situation where he suffered a bizarre injury/condition to derail his NBA outlook. Turner simply was not the player the Sixers hoped he would be, and everyone has moved on after the fact. The Sixers organization and the city of Philadelphia have left it at this, and Turner should too.