JEFF Turner won a gold medal with the legend Michael Jordan — but his journey could have gone a different route.

The retired power forward, 61, was drafted by the New Jersey Nets in the first round of the 1984 NBA draft.

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Jeff Turner won a gold medal with Michael Jordan for the USA basketball team in 1984 as he was the New Jersey Nets first-round pick in the same yearCredit: Getty

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Turner played three seasons for the Nets before spending seven seasons with the Orlando MagicCredit: Getty

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Turner played 10 seasons in the NBA and ended his career with 3,697 pointsCredit: Getty
However, Turner was first interested in the game of baseball as a kid from Florida.

“Baseball was my first love when I was growing up,” Turner said in 2022.

“As the tallest kid in school, I eventually got into basketball, but I didn’t really think of it as a career.”

The 6-foot-9, 230-pound power forward went to play college basketball at Vanderbilt University.

Turner would play for the school from 1981 to 1984.

During his college tenure, Turner played for the United States Basketball national team.

He’d be part of the 1984 Team USA gold-winning team that was coached by the legend Bobby Knight.

The squad also included Jordan, Patrick Ewing, and Chris Mullin, among others.

Turner played three seasons with the Nets before becoming the Orlando Magic’s first-ever free-agent addition for the team’s inaugural 1989 season.

He spent seven seasons with Orlando before retiring after the 1996 season.

The 10-year NBA veteran Turner ended his career with 3,697 points.

After his career ended, Turner was the Magic radio announcer for nine years.

The Vanderbilt product then took roles in coaching high school basketball as well as an Associate Athletic Director for a preparatory school.