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| Personal information | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | May 26, 1979 Yalova, Turkey |
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| Nationality | Turkish | |||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | |||||||||
| Listed weight | 290 lb (132 kg) | |||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2001 / Round: 2 / Pick: 37th overall | |||||||||
| Selected by the Detroit Pistons | ||||||||||
| Pro career | 1997–2012 | |||||||||
| Position | Center / Power forward | |||||||||
| Number | 13 | |||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | Oyak Renault (Turkey) | |||||||||
| 1998–2000 | Tofaş (Turkey) | |||||||||
| 2000–2002 | Efes Pilsen (Turkey) | |||||||||
| 2002–2004 | Detroit Pistons | |||||||||
| 2004–2011 | Utah Jazz | |||||||||
| 2011 | Türk Telekom (Turkey) | |||||||||
| 2011–2012 | New Jersey Nets | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||
| Career NBA statistics | ||||||||||
| Points | 8,561 (13.5 ppg) | |||||||||
| Rebounds | 4,436 (7.0 rpg) | |||||||||
| Assists | 1,089 (1.7 apg) | |||||||||
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | ||||||||||
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Medals
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Mehmet Murat Okur (born May 26, 1979) is a retired Turkish professional basketball player. Listed at 2.11 m (6' 11"),[1] he played as a power forward and center.
Contents
Early career[edit]
Okur notes Toni Kukoč was his favorite player while he was growing up.[2] He helped the Turkish 22-and-under national team to 6th place at the 1997 world championship.[3] He was transferred to Efes Pilsen in 2000 and won a championship in the 2001–2002 Turkish Basketball League season.[4] He averaged 13.5 points per game during his last season in Turkey.[5]
NBA career[edit]
Detroit Pistons[edit]
Okur was selected 37th overall in the second round of the 2001 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons.[6] He played two seasons for the Pistons from 2002–03 to 2003–04, 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 Utah Jazz.
Utah Jazz[edit]
Standing 2.11 m (6'11") and 132 kg (290 lb),[1] Okur played the center and power forward positions for the Utah Jazz. In his first season (2004–2005) with Utah, he played in all 82 games, starting in 25 of them. Nicknamed "Memo", Okur made his presence felt during his second (2005–2006) season with Utah, increasing his scoring average from 12.9 points per game the previous season to 18.0 points per game. He started in all 82 games for the second straight season, the only Utah Jazz player to do so. In his third season, he continued to be a key player for Utah.[7][8]
He was named to the Western Conference All-Star team for the 2007 NBA All-Star Game. He and Ray Allen were selected as replacements for injured original members Allen Iverson and Steve Nash.[9] He was the first Turkish player to participate in this event.
On Monday, January 12, 2009, Okur established a new career high in points scored when he scored 43 points against the Indiana Pacers.
On July 10, 2009 Okur signed a two-year contract extension reportedly worth approximately $21 million.[10]
On April 17, 2010, Okur ruptured his Achilles' tendon during the first game of the post-season against the Denver Nuggets, eliminating him from the remainder of the NBA playoffs, as well as the World Basketball Championships in his native Turkey later that summer.
He returned on December 17, 2010 and scored 2 points against the New Orleans Hornets.
New Jersey Nets[edit]
On December 22, 2011, Okur was traded to the New Jersey Nets for a 2015 second round pick.[11]
Portland Trail Blazers[edit]
On March 15, 2012, Okur was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers along with Shawne Williams and a 2012 1st round draft pick in exchange for Gerald Wallace.[12] He was waived by Portland on March 21, 2012.[13]
Later in 2012, Okur decided to retire from basketball, citing injuries.[14]
Türk Telekom Ankara[edit]
In September 2011, Okur signed a contract with Türk Telekom B.K. His contract had an out-clause, which allowed him to return to the NBA when the 2011 NBA lockout was resolved.[15]
Personal life[edit]
He is married to actress and former Miss Turkey finalist Yeliz Çalışkan. They have a daughter, Melisa, born on March 21, 2007, and a son, Yiğit Mehmet, born on February 19, 2010.
NBA career statistics[edit]
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Denotes season in which Okur won an NBA championship |
Regular season[edit]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | Detroit | 72 | 9 | 19.0 | .426 | .339 | .733 | 4.7 | 1.0 | .3 | .5 | 6.9 |
| 2003–04† | Detroit | 71 | 33 | 22.3 | .463 | .375 | .775 | 5.9 | 1.0 | .5 | .9 | 9.6 |
| 2004–05 | Utah | 82 | 25 | 28.1 | .468 | .270 | .850 | 7.5 | 2.0 | .4 | .8 | 12.9 |
| 2005–06 | Utah | 82 | 82 | 35.9 | .460 | .342 | .780 | 9.1 | 2.4 | .5 | .9 | 18.0 |
| 2006–07 | Utah | 80 | 80 | 33.3 | .462 | .384 | .765 | 7.2 | 2.0 | .5 | .5 | 17.6 |
| 2007–08 | Utah | 72 | 72 | 33.2 | .445 | .388 | .804 | 7.7 | 2.0 | .8 | .4 | 14.5 |
| 2008–09 | Utah | 72 | 72 | 33.5 | .485 | .446 | .817 | 7.7 | 1.7 | .8 | .7 | 17.0 |
| 2009–10 | Utah | 73 | 73 | 29.4 | .458 | .385 | .820 | 7.1 | 1.6 | .5 | 1.1 | 13.5 |
| 2010–11 | Utah | 13 | 0 | 12.9 | .355 | .313 | .750 | 2.3 | 1.5 | .3 | .3 | 4.9 |
| 2011–12 | New Jersey | 17 | 14 | 26.7 | .374 | .319 | .600 | 4.8 | 1.8 | .5 | .3 | 7.6 |
| Career | 634 | 460 | 29.1 | .458 | .375 | .797 | 7.0 | 1.7 | .5 | .7 | 13.5 | |
| All-Star | 1 | 0 | 15.0 | 1.000 | .000 | .000 | 2.0 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | 4.0 |
Playoffs[edit]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Detroit | 17 | 0 | 19.0 | .438 | .538 | .531 | 4.1 | .8 | .7 | .7 | 5.5 |
| 2004 | Detroit | 22 | 0 | 11.5 | .470 | .400 | .692 | 2.8 | .4 | .2 | .4 | 3.7 |
| 2007 | Utah | 17 | 17 | 34.4 | .388 | .316 | .786 | 7.8 | 1.8 | 1.4 | .9 | 11.8 |
| 2008 | Utah | 12 | 12 | 38.5 | .423 | .373 | .773 | 11.8 | 1.9 | .7 | .7 | 15.4 |
| 2009 | Utah | 2 | 2 | 21.5 | .167 | .333 | .750 | 5.0 | 2.0 | .0 | .5 | 4.0 |
| 2010 | Utah | 1 | 1 | 11.0 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 2.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 7.0 |
| Career | 71 | 32 | 23.6 | .415 | .362 | .713 | 5.9 | 1.1 | .7 | .6 | 8.1 |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b NBA Player Profile
- ^ 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 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "NBA.comSTAT" defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ Okur named 2007 All Star
- ^ Allen, Okur get call to replace injured All-Star players, Retrieved February 13, 2007
- ^ "Jazz Signs Mehmet Okur to Multi-Year Extension". NBA.com. 2009-07-10. Retrieved 2009-09-10.
- ^ "NETS Acquire Mehmet Okur". NBA.com. 2011-12-22. Retrieved 2011-12-23.
- ^ "Trail Blazers Acquire Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams, And 2012 First Round Draft Pick From New Jersey". NBA.com. 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
- ^ "Trail Blazers Claim JJ Hickson Off Waivers". NBA.com. 2012-03-21. Retrieved 2012-03-22.
- ^ Mehmet Okur announces his retirement from basketball
- ^ Utah Jazz: Mehmet Okur signs with Turkish team
External links[edit]
- Basketball-Reference.com: Mehmet Okur
- Career Stats
- NBA Player Profile
- Official Homepage
- TurkSports.Net Mehmet Okur
- Player Profile @ Euroleague.net