Birkan Batuk (born January 30, 1990) is a former Turkish professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. He mainly played at the

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game ...

position, but he also has the ability to play as a

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three, is one of the five Basketball position, positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than Power forward (basketball), power forwards and Cent ...

, if needed.

Professional career

Early years

Batuk started to play basketball with Pamukspor. He moved to Ülkerspor junior team after his outstanding success with Pamukspor. He signed a professional contract with Alpella after playing for Ülkerspor junior team. He made his professional debut in the

Turkish Basketball Super League Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

with Alpella during the 2006-07 season. He signed a contract with

Trabzonspor Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional sports club located in the city of Trabzon, located in Black Sea region, northeastern Turkey. Established in 1967 through the merger of several local clubs, Trabzonspor is one of the most prominent A ...

for 1 year in the

TB2L The Turkish Basketball Second League, also called TB2L, is the third-tier level league of professional club basketball in Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a ...

after playing with Alpella.

Pınar Karşıyaka (2009–2012)

In the summer of 2009, he signed a contract with

Pınar Karşıyaka Pınar is a common feminine Turkish given name A Turkish name consists of an ''ad'' or an ''isim'' (given name; plural ''adlar'' and ''isimler'') and a ''soyadı'' or ''soyisim'' (surname). Turkish names exist in a "full name" format. While th ...

. In June 2011, he signed an extension contract with Pınar Karşıyaka until 2013. On February 9, 2011, he participated in the BSL All Star game. He led his team to victory, scoring 26 points, grabbing 6 rebounds and 4 assists. So, he was named

MVP MVP most commonly refers to: * Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition * Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering MVP may also refer to: ...

of the BSL All Star game. On May 7, 2011, Batuk also scored a career-high 31 points in 25 minutes (on 7/8 3 pointers) in a victory against

Anadolu Efes (2012–2016)

In the summer of 2012, Batuk was transferred to

Anadolu Efes Anadolu Efes Spor Kulübü, commonly referred to as Anadolu Efes or simply Efes, is a Turkish professional basketball team based in Istanbul. Founded in 1976, the club was formerly known as Efes Pilsen until 2011. Efes is the 2021–22 EuroLeagu ...

where he signed a two-year deal. In May 2014, he re-signed his contract with Anadolu Efes. In August 2014, he suffered an

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...

injury during a pre-season game. He was expected to be 5–6 months off the court.

Darüşşafaka Doğuş (2016–2017)

On June 20, 2016, he signed a two-year contract with Darüşşafaka Doğuş.

Anadolu Efes (2017–2019)

At the beginning of the 2017-18 season he re-signed with Anadolu Efes.

Loan to Pınar Karşıyaka (2019)

On 3 January 2019, it was announced that Birkan was loaned to Pınar Karşıyaka for the rest of the season.

Beşiktaş Sompo Japan (2019–2020)

On August 10, 2019, Birkan signed with Beşiktaş Sompo Japan of the Turkish

Basketball Super League Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

(BSL).

Bursaspor (2020–2022)

On July 15, 2020, he has signed with

Bursaspor Bursaspor Kulübü Derneği, commonly known as Bursaspor, is a Turkey, Turkish professional sports club based in the city of Bursa. Founded in 1963, the club is best known for its football team, which has a rich history in Football in Turkey, Turk ...

of the

(BSL).

Gaziantep Basketbol (2022–2023)

On June 26, 2022, he has signed with

Gaziantep Basketbol Gaziantep Basketbol is a professional basketball team based in the city of Gaziantep in Turkey that plays in the Turkish Basketball First League (TBL). Their home arena is the Karataş Şahinbey Sport Hall with a capacity of 6,400 seats. Histo ...

of the

Basketbol Süper Ligi The Basketball Super League (; TBSL), also known as the Türkiye Sigorta Basketbol Süper Ligi for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's professional basketball division of the Turkish basketball league system. It replaced the former Turkish Bas ...

(BSL).

Retirement

On April 27, 2025, he announced his retirement from professional basketball.

Turkish national team

Batuk was also a regular Turkey youth national team player.

Professional career

Early years

Pınar Karşıyaka (2009–2012)

Anadolu Efes (2012–2016)

Darüşşafaka Doğuş (2016–2017)

Anadolu Efes (2017–2019)

Loan to Pınar Karşıyaka (2019)

Beşiktaş Sompo Japan (2019–2020)

Bursaspor (2020–2022)

Gaziantep Basketbol (2022–2023)

Retirement

Turkish national team

References

External links