Ahmet Efe Aydan (born May 4, 1955 in Ankara, Turkey) is a Turkish former professional basketball player. He is regarded by many as the best Turkish basketball player ever, with a total of 224 caps with the senior Turkish national team. He was Turkey's national team

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 89 games, and he scored 2,195 points with the senior Turkish national team. With Turkey's national team, he won the gold medal at the 1981 Balkan Championship, and the gold medal at the

1987 Mediterranean Games The X Mediterranean Games ( ar, ألعاب البحر الأبيض المتوسط 1987), commonly known as the 1987 Mediterranean Games, were the 10th Mediterranean Games. The Games were held in Latakia, Syria, from 11 to 25 September 1987, wher ...

. On the club level, he won the

Turkish League Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

championship 6 times. Aydan was also the first Turkish basketball player to play on the

FIBA European Selection FIBA All-Star Games were all-star basketball exhibition games, which were also known as "FIBA Festivals". The "FIBA Festival All-Star Games" were held from 1964 to 1995. The FIBA European Selection teams won most of the FIBA Festival All-Star Ga ...

(the All-European Team), in 1981, where he displayed a memorable performance in a game against the

Spanish ACB League The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, wi ...

club Joventut Badalona.

Professional career

The ambitious Aydan started playing basketball in the youth ranks of Galatasaray Istanbul, when he was 16 years old. Because of his talent and ability, he was signed by Eczacibasi Istanbul, and he played with that club for several years. He earned himself a place on the

(All-European Team), in 1981. He retired from playing pro club basketball in 1992, while he was a member of the Turkish club Tofas Bursa.

Domestic fame

Aydan is often cited as being the pioneer of Turkish basketball. He has a legendary status with Turkish basketball fans, and he is generally considered to be the top Turkish basketball idol of all time. Many basketball historians believe that Aydan was a very underrated player, and that he could have been among the most well-remembered European players of his time, if he had played in a bigger EuroLeague club than the ones he played in. During his playing career, Turkish club basketball lacked in quality, which caused Aydan to be relatively unknown outside of Turkey, at the time.

National team career

Aydan became a regular player of the senior Turkish national team, as he played at the

1975 EuroBasket The 1975 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1975, was the nineteenth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. Venues First round Group A – Split Group B – Karlovac Group C � ...

and

1981 EuroBasket The 1981 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1981, was the 22nd FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. The competition was hosted by Czechoslovakia and took place from 26 May to 5 June 1981 ...

. In both tournaments, Aydan was declared the

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

of the national team. He also led Turkey to their first ever international title, as they defeated Greece, in the final of the Balkan Championship, in 1981, with Aydan again being the Turkish team's most valuable player.

Honours and awards

Club

*6×

Champion: (1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982) *

: (1981)

Turkish senior national team

* 1981 Balkan Championship: *

1983 Mediterranean Games The IX Mediterranean Games ( ar, ألعاب البحر الأبيض المتوسط 1983), commonly known as the 1983 Mediterranean Games, were the 9th Mediterranean Games. The Games were held in Casablanca, Morocco, from 3 to 17 September 1983, ...

: *

Personal life

Aydan is the son of

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

opera singer Sevda Aydan, and the older brother of Turkish actor Ege Aydan.

References

External links

FIBA ProfileTBLStat.net Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aydan, Efe 1955 births Living people Beşiktaş men's basketball players Centers (basketball) Eczacıbaşı S.K. (men's basketball) players Fenerbahçe men's basketball players Galatasaray S.K. (men's basketball) players Karşıyaka basketball players Paşabahçe S.K. players Sportspeople from Ankara Tofaş S.K. players Turkish men's basketball players Mediterranean Games medalists in basketball Mediterranean Games gold medalists for Turkey Mediterranean Games bronze medalists for Turkey Competitors at the 1983 Mediterranean Games Competitors at the 1987 Mediterranean Games