Mehmet Okur

Mehmet Okur is a former Turkish basketball player, a center who won the 2004 NBA title with the Detroit Pistons. He came to the NBA from Efes Pilsen in Istanbul, and with the Utah Jazz he played in the 2007 NBA All-Star Game.

Who Is Mehmet Okur?

Mehmet Okur was born on May 26, 1979, and he played at center. Before the NBA, he played for Efes Pilsen in Istanbul, the club known today as Anadolu Efes. Then, in 2001, he was chosen in the second round of the NBA Draft.

Mehmet Okur in the NBA

He began with the Detroit Pistons in 2002–03. In his second season, the Pistons won the 2004 NBA title, and he played for them in those playoffs. Then he moved to the Utah Jazz in 2004, and he stayed there for seven seasons. With Utah, he played in the playoffs four years in a row, from 2006–07 to 2009–10. In 2007, he played in the NBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas for the Jazz. Finally, he ended his NBA career with the New Jersey Nets in 2011–12. In all, he played ten seasons in the league, and Utah was the club where he spent most of them.

Where Can You See His Former Club in Istanbul?

Anadolu Efes, his club before the NBA, plays its EuroLeague home games at the Basketball Development Center in Zeytinburnu. For the derby with Fenerbahçe, see Fenerbahçe vs Anadolu Efes, and for the clubs and the season, read our guide to basketball in Turkey.

See a Game in Istanbul With Us

Would you like to see his former club play? Our Istanbul basketball game tour arranges your seats, drives you to the arena and back, and brings a guide who knows the game. Let us know when you are in Istanbul, and we will look for a home game of the club he played for.