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Mehmet Murat Okur (born 26 May 1979) is a Turkish former 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. Listed at ,NBA Player Profile
/ref> he played as a
power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers and are typi ...
and center. Okur is known for his three-point shooting and ability to space the floor. In his seven seasons with the
Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...
, he emerged as a talented shooter in the NBA. From 2004 to 2010, he displayed a talent for making big shots in pressure situations, earning him the nickname of "the Money Man" and "Memo is Money" among Jazz fans. Okur was also the first Turkish player in NBA history to win an NBA championship with the
Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...
in 2004. In 2016, Okur was named a player development coach for the Phoenix Suns, becoming the first Turkish citizen to enter the coaching world in the NBA.


Early career

Okur notes Toni Kukoč was his favorite player while he was growing up.NBA.com: Mehmet Okur Biography
Retrieved 18 February 2007
He helped the Turkish 22-and-under national team to 6th place at the 1997 world championship. He was transferred to Efes Pilsen (now known as Anadolu Efes) in 2000 and won a championship in the 2001–2002 Turkish Basketball League season.Turkish Basketball League history
Retrieved 18 February 2007
He averaged 13.5 points per game during his last season in Turkey.TBLstat.net: Mehmet Okur
Retrieved 18 February 2007


Professional career


Detroit Pistons (2002–2004)

Okur was selected 38th overall in the second round of the 2001 NBA draft by the
Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...
. He played two seasons for the Pistons from 2002–03 to 2003–04. On November 7, 2003, Okur led the Pistons to a 105–99 win over the
Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...
, with a career-high 18 rebounds and 12 points. During the 2004 NBA playoffs, Okur helped Detroit win the NBA championship in June 2004. He became the first Turkish player to win an NBA championship. Due to
salary cap In professional sports, a salary cap (or wage cap) is an agreement or rule that places a limit on the amount of money that a team can spend on players' salaries. It exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both. Seve ...
limitations, the Pistons were unable to pay a top-level salary for Okur, and Okur was able to parlay his success into a six-year,
US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
50 million contract with the
Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...
.


Utah Jazz (2004–2011)

Okur signed with the Jazz on 27 July 2004 and played seven seasons in Utah from 2004 to 2011, spending the majority of his career with the team. Standing and 290 lbs (132 kg), Okur played the center and
power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers and are typi ...
positions for the 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. 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. He was the first Turkish player to participate in this event. On 12 January 2009, Okur scored a career-high in points with 43 against the
Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
during a 120–113 win. On 10 July 2009 Okur signed a two-year contract extension reportedly worth approximately $21 million. On 17 April 2010, Okur ruptured his Achilles' tendon during the first game of the post-season against the
Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...
, 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 17 December 2010 and scored 2 points against the New Orleans Hornets.


Türk Telekom Ankara (2011)

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.


New Jersey Nets (2011–2012)

On 22 December 2011, Okur was traded to the New Jersey Nets for a 2015 second round pick (later used to select Pat Connaughton). This reunited him with former Jazz teammate, PG
Deron Williams Deron Michael Williams ( ; born June 26, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball, Illinois Fighting Illini before being drafted third overall in ...
, who was traded to the Nets the previous season. Okur played 17 games for the Nets, averaging 7.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. On 15 March 2012, Okur was traded to the
Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...
along with Shawne Williams and a 2012 first-round pick (later used to select Damian Lillard in exchange for Gerald Wallace. He was waived by Portland on 21 March 2012. Later in 2012, Okur decided to retire from basketball, citing injuries. In Okur's final 2 years in the league, he only played 30 games total. His final game being on January 25, 2012, where he recorded 11 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in a 97–90 win over the 76ers.


NBA career statistics


Regular season

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New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, 17 , , 14 , , 26.7 , , .374 , , .319 , , .600 , , 4.8 , , 1.8 , , .5 , , .3 , , 7.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 634, , 460, , 29.1 , , .458 , , .375 , , .797 , , 7.0 , , 1.7 , , .5 , , .7 , , 13.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 15.0 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 4.0 NBA.com: Mehmet Okur
Retrieved 19 May 2009


Playoffs

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Coaching career

Before working as a coach, Okur was an ambassador for the
Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...
from 2014 to August 2016. On 13 September 2016, he agreed to a deal that made him one of the newest player development coaches for the Phoenix Suns. Okur would soon become the first Turkish-born coach to ever be a part of an NBA coaching staff in some capacity. With the earlier hiring of Canadian Jay Triano, it would also mark the first time that two foreign-born coaches would take part in participating in the Suns' coaching staff at the same time. He would also be reunited with his former teammate Earl Watson and former coach Tyrone Corbin, although their roles would be different with Watson being the head coach and Corbin being an assistant coach. After seeing slight improvements in his first season as a player development coach, Okur was fired alongside assistant coach Nate Bjorkgren and fellow player development coach Jason Fraser on 22 October 2017. The sudden firing came after the Suns had some very poor performances to start out their 50th anniversary season, leading to a 0–3 start to their season.


Personal life

He is married to actress and former Miss Turkey finalist Yeliz Çalışkan. They have a daughter, Melisa, born on 21 March 2007, and two sons, Yiğit Mehmet Okur, born on 19 February 2010, and Mert Mehmet Okur, born on 19 November 2014. He and his family currently live in San Diego, California.


See also

* *
List of European basketball players in the United States This is a list of European basketball players who have played in the United States at either professional or NCAA Division I level. It is intended to include players who are currently active, whether inside or outside the U.S., and former player ...
*
List of foreign NBA coaches In the National Basketball Association (NBA), foreign coaches—also known as international coaches—are those who were born outside the United States. This list includes all international coaches who have been assistant and/or head coach in t ...


References


External links

*
Official Homepage

TurkSports.Net Mehmet Okur

Player Profile
@ Euroleague.net
TBLStat.net Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Okur, Mehmet 1979 births Living people 2002 FIBA World Championship players Anadolu Efes S.K. players Centers (basketball) Detroit Pistons draft picks Detroit Pistons players NBA All-Stars NBA players from Turkey New Jersey Nets players Oyak Renault basketball players Phoenix Suns assistant coaches Power forwards Sportspeople from Yalova Tofaş S.K. players Turkish expatriate basketball people in the United States Turkish men's basketball players Türk Telekom B.K. players Utah Jazz players