Mehmet Okur
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Position | Center, power forward |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Memo |
| Height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Weight | 263 lb (120 kg) |
| Team | Utah Jazz |
| Nationality |  Turkey |
| Born | May 26, 1979 (age 27) Yalova, Turkey |
| Draft | 2nd round, 38th overall, 2001 Detroit Pistons |
| Pro career | 2002–present |
| Former teams | Detroit Pistons (2002–2004) |
Mehmet Okur (born May 26, 1979 in Yalova, Turkey) is a Turkish professional basketball player who currently plays for the Utah Jazz of the NBA. He is married to Yeliz, and they have a daughter, Melisa, born on March 21, 2007.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Early career
Okur is a product of the youth program of Efes Pilsen, one of Turkey's top clubs. Okur notes Toni Kukoč as his favorite player growing up.[2] He helped the Turkish 22-and-under national team to 6th place at the 1997 world championship.[3] Mehmet was transferred to Efes Pilsen in 2000 and won a championship in the 2001-2002 season.[4] He averaged 13.5 points per game during his last season in Turkey.[5]
[edit] NBA career
[edit] Detroit Pistons
Okur was selected 38th overall in the second round of the 2001 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons.[6] He played two seasons for the Pistons from 2002 to 2004, helping Detroit win the NBA championship in June 2004. He became the first Turkish player to win an NBA championship. Due to salary cap limitations, the Pistons were unable to pay a top-level salary for Okur, but he was able to parlay his success into a six-year, US$50 million contract with the Jazz.
[edit] Utah Jazz
At 2.11 m (6'11") and 120 kg (263 lb), Okur plays the position of center and power forward in the Utah Jazz team. He has inside presence, but also a reliable jump shot extending to three-point range, and is a solid free throw shooter with an 80.7 career percentage. On his first season (2005-2006) with Utah, he played in all 82 games, starting in 25 of them. Nicknamed "Memo", Okur had made his presence felt on his second (2006-2007) season with Utah from 12.9 points per game the previous season to 18.0 points per game, leading his team in scoring and rebounding, making him one of the league's most improved players. He started in all 82 games for the second straight season, as the only Utah Jazz player doing so. This season, he continued being a key player for Utah. He has also improved his 3 point shot,[7] and currently is one of the most clutch players in NBA.[8]
On March 13, Okur became the most prolific single season 3-point shooter in franchise history.[9] He has missed two games this season snapping his streak (233 consecutive games).
[edit] All Star
He was named to the Western Conference All-Star team for 2007 NBA All-Star Game. He and Ray Allen were selected as replacements for injured original members Allen Iverson and Steve Nash.[10] He is the first Turkish player to participate in this event.
[edit] Statistics
| Year | Team | MPG | PPG | APG | RPG | SPG | BPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-03 | DET | 19.0 | 6.9 | 1.0 | 4.7 | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| 2003-04 | DET | 22.3 | 9.6 | 1.0 | 5.9 | 0.5 | 0.9 |
| 2004-05 | UTA | 28.1 | 12.9 | 2.0 | 7.5 | 0.4 | 0.8 |
| 2005-06 | UTA | 35.9 | 18.0 | 2.4 | 9.1 | 0.5 | 0.9 |
| 2006-07 | UTA | 33.9 | 18.4 | 2.0 | 7.2 | 0.5 | 0.6 |
- MPG: Minutes Per Game
- PPG: Points Per Game
- APG: Assists Per Game
- RPG: Rebounds Per Game
- SPG: Steals Per Game
- BPG: Blocks Per Game
[edit] References
- ^ official site of Mehmet Okur
- ^ NBA.com: Mehmet Okur Biography Retrieved February 18, 2007
- ^ World Championship fo.net/pd.asp?p=243 TBLstat.net: Mehmet Okur Retrieved February 18, 2007
- ^ Turkish Basketball League history Retrieved February 18, 2007
- ^ TBLstat.net: Mehmet Okur Retrieved February 18, 2007
- ^ Draft Profile: Mehmet Okur Retrieved February 18, 2007
- ^ a b NBA.com: Mehmet Okur Retrieved February 18, 2007
- ^ Okur named 2007 All Star
- ^ Mehmet Okur Beats Jazz 3-Pointer Record
- ^ Allen, Okur get call to replace injured All-Star players, Retrieved February 13, 2007
[edit] External links
1 Billups (Finals MVP) | 3 B. Wallace | 7 James | 8 Ham | 10 Hunter | 13 Okur | 22 Prince | 31 Miličić | 32 Hamilton | 34 Williamson | 36 R. Wallace | 41 Campbell | Coach Brown
| 2001 NBA Draft | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Round Kwame Brown | Tyson Chandler | Pau Gasol | Eddy Curry | Jason Richardson | Shane Battier | Eddie Griffin | DeSagana Diop | Rodney White | Joe Johnson | Kedrick Brown | Vladimir Radmanović | Richard Jefferson | Troy Murphy | Steven Hunter | Kirk Haston | Michael Bradley | Jason Collins | Zach Randolph | Brendan Haywood | Joseph Forte | Jeryl Sasser | Brandon Armstrong | Raul Lopez | Gerald Wallace | Jamaal Tinsley | Tony Parker | |
||
| Second Round Trenton Hassell | Gilbert Arenas| Omar Cook | Will Solomon | Terence Morris | Brian Scalabrine | Jeff Trepagnier | Damone Brown | Mehmet Okur | Michael Wright | Earl Watson | Jamison Brewer | Bobby Simmons | Eric Chenowith | Kyle Hill | Sean Lampley | Loren Woods | Ousmane Cisse | Antonis Fotsis | Ken Johnson | Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje | Alton Ford | Andre Huston | Jarron Collins | Kenny Satterfield | Maurice Jeffers | Robertas Javtokas | Alvin Jones | Bryan Bracey |
