Turner Continues Amazing Pro Career

Former Husker Yvonne Turner is in the middle of another productive season in her 14th year as a professional women's basketball player in 2024.

Turner, who was a first-team All-Big 12 selection as a 5-8 guard for the Huskers in 2010, is currently competing in Mexico for Halcones de Xalapa. Through six games, Turner is averaging 10.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.0 steal, since joining the team on May 16.

Turner's time in Mexico began just eight days after she completed the 2023-24 European season with Sopron in Hungary, where she averaged 10.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.1 steals. She played 21 games for Sopron during 2023-24, and is staying sharp in Mexico in case a midseason call from the WNBA comes this summer.

A starting guard on the 2010 Nebraska team that won the Big 12 championship with the first unbeaten regular season in Big 12 history before earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Turner completed her fifth WNBA season as a member of the 2023 Seattle Storm. She also started the 2022 season with the Minnesota Lynx before playing for the Atlanta Dream and Phoenix Mercury to close the year.

Turner returned to the Mercury after a two-year WNBA absence caused by COVID-19 and a knee injury suffered in February of 2020. In 2019, Turner averaged 6.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists over 29 games with 14 starts for Phoenix. In 2018, she was a playoff starter for the Mercury. In 2017, Turner averaged 9.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in the playoffs, while averaging 5.1 points, 1.0 rebound and 1.1 assists on the season.

Turner played for Sopron (Hungary) and Polkowice (Poland) in 2022-23. She averaged 10 points and 3.3 assists for Mersin (Turkey) in her return from injury in 2021-22. Turner played with Nadezhda Orenburg (Russia) in 2019-20, leading the team in scoring (14.3 ppg) while adding 3.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals before her knee injury.

As a star for Sopron in 2018-19, Turner averaged 13.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.6 steals. She led Sopron to the EuroLeague title game as the league's top point guard in 2017-18. She played in Australia (Bundaburg, 2010-11), Germany (USC Freiburg, 2010-11, 2011-12), Russia (Dynamo GUVD Novosibirsk, 2012-13), Turkey (Antkya, 2013-14), Spain (Mann Filter Zaragoza, 2014-15) and Poland (TS Wisla Can-Pack Krakow) in 2015-16. She had WNBA Training Camp contracts with San Antonio (2013) and Chicago (2014).

Turner earned her bachelor's degree from Nebraska in May 2010 after majoring in child, youth and family studies. A first-team WBCA High School All-American out of Bellevue East, Turner was the 2006 Gatorade Nebraska High School Player of the Year. 

Turner ranks No. 5 on Nebraska's all-time three-point list with 183, while her 82 threes as a senior are tied for fifth in Husker history. The 2010 Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year, Turner finished fifth on NU's career steals list with 229, after earning three straight Big 12 All-Defensive Team selections.

As a senior, Turner helped the Huskers to their most successful season in history by averaging 13.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 steals in Big 12 play. The Huskers finished 32-2, including 16-0 in the league. Turner helped shoot the Huskers to a Big 12 record-tying 30-game win streak to open the 2009-10 season. Turner finished as one of just six players in Nebraska history with 1,000 points, 200 assists and 200 steals in her career.