What NBA Players Are from Turkey?
Contents
- NBA players of Turkish descent
- NBA players who were born in Turkey
- NBA players who have Turkish ancestry
- NBA players who have played in Turkey
- NBA players who have played for Turkish national team
- NBA players who have Turkish roots
- NBA players who have Turkish citizenship
- NBA players who are of Turkish descent
- NBA players who are from Turkey
- NBA players who have a Turkish background
As the saying goes, “The world is your oyster.” And when it comes to basketball, that couldn’t be more true. With players from all over the globe, the NBA is truly a melting pot.
And while you might think that the majority of players come from the United States that’s actually not the case. In fact, there are players from all sorts of countries represented in the NBA.
One of those countries is Turkey. And while you might not
NBA players of Turkish descent
NBA players of Turkish descent are players who have Turkish citizenship or have ancestors who were born in Turkey.Turkey has produced a number of NBA players most notably Mehmet Okur and Hedo Türkoğlu.
Okur played for the Utah Jazz and the Detroit Pistons in the NBA. He was an All-Star in 2007 and won an NBA Championship with the Pistons in 2004. Türkoğlu also played for the Orlando Magic and the Toronto Raptors He was an All-Star in 2010 and is one of the most successful Turkish players in the NBA.
Other NBA players of Turkish descent include Furkan Aldemir, Enes Kanter Ersan Ilyasova Semih Erden, and Ömer Aşık.
NBA players who were born in Turkey
There have been several players born in Turkey who have gone on to have careers in the NBA. The most successful of these players has been Hedo Turkoglu, who was born in Turkey in 1979. Turkoglu was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in 2000 and went on to play for the Kings, the San Antonio Spurs, the Orlando Magic the Toronto Raptors and the Phoenix Suns He was a two-time All-Star and won an NBA Championship with the Orlando Magic in 2009.
Other NBA players born in Turkey include Mehmet Okur, Ersan Ilyasova, Furkan Aldemir, and Cedi Osman. Okur played for the Utah Jazz and the Detroit Pistons winning an NBA Championship with the Pistons in 2004. Ilyasova played for the Milwaukee Bucks the Atlanta Hawks the Detroit Pistons and the Philadelphia 76ers. Aldemir played for the Houston Rockets and is currently playing for Panathinaikos of Greece. Osman is currently playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers
NBA players who have Turkish ancestry
There are several NBA players who have Turkish ancestry, including:
-Enes Kanter
-Muratcan Güler
-Enver Lisin
-Arkan Aslanbegović
NBA players who have played in Turkey
There have been a number of NBA players who have played in Turkey. The most notable recent player is Enes Kanter, who played for the Oklahoma City Thunder Other notable players include:
-Hedo Turkoglu
-Mehmet Okur
-Ersan Ilyasova
-Yi Jianlian
– Furkan Aldemir
NBA players who have played for Turkish national team
There have been a number of NBA players who have played for the Turkish national team including:
-Enes Kanter: A center who has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder New York Knicks and Boston Celtics
-Hedo Turkoglu: A small forward who played for the Sacramento Kings Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors
-Omer Asik: A center who has played for the New Orleans Pelicans and Chicago Bulls
NBA players who have Turkish roots
Since the National Basketball Association (NBA) was founded in 1946, there have been players of Turkish origin who have made significant contributions to the league. Here is a list of some of the most notable players who have Turkish roots.
Ersan Ilyasova: A power forward/center who was born in Turkey and plays for the Milwaukee Bucks Ersan Ilyasova began his NBA Career in 2005. He is a three-time NBA All-Star and was named to the All-Rookie First Team in 2006.
Hedo Turkoglu: A small forward who played for several teams throughout his NBA career Hedo Turkoglu was born in Turkey and played for the Sacramento Kings Orlando Magic Toronto Raptors Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers. He was named an NBA All-Star in 2008 and helped lead the Magic to the NBA Finals that same year.
Mehmet Okur: A center who played for the Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons during his NBA career Mehmet Okur was born in Turkey. He was named to the All-Rookie Second Team in 2002 and helped the Jazz reach the Western Conference Finals in 2007.
Enes Kanter: A center who plays for the Boston Celtics Enes Kanter was born in Switzerland but has Turkish roots. He began his NBA career with the Utah Jazz in 2011 and has also played for the Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks
NBA players who have Turkish citizenship
-Rudy Gobert
-Enes Kanter
-Omer Asik
-Semi Ojeleye
NBA players who are of Turkish descent
There are currently six NBA players who are of Turkish descent. They are:
Ersan İlyasova – Milwaukee Bucks
Hedo Türkoğlu – Portland Trail Blazers
Ömer Aşık – New Orleans Pelicans
Enes Kanter – New York Knicks
Cedi Osman – Cleveland Cavaliers
Furkan Korkmaz – Philadelphia 76ers
NBA players who are from Turkey
There have been a few NBA players who are from Turkey. The most recent and notable player is Ersan Ilyasova, who was born in Turkey and played for the Milwaukee Bucks Other players who were born in Turkey and have played in the NBA are Mehmet Okur, Hidayet Türkoğlu, and Semih Erden.
NBA players who have a Turkish background
There are many NBA players who have a Turkish background. The most notable player is Hedo Turkoglu, who played for the Orlando Magic the Phoenix Suns and the Toronto Raptors Other players include Mehmet Okur, who played for the Utah Jazz and the Detroit Pistons and Ersan Ilyasova, who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks