Mehmet Okur life and biography

Mehmet Okur is a Turkish professional basketball player who currently plays for the Utah Jazz of the NBA. He is a 211 cm (6' 11") power forward/center.

Career history:

Oyak Renault (1997–1998)
Tofaş S.K. (1998–2000)
Efes Pilsen (2000–2002)
Detroit Pistons (2002–2004)
Utah Jazz (2004-present)

CAREER:

2009-10 :
Appeared in 73 games (all starts) averaging 13.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.11 blocks ... Led the team in rebounding 12 times and scoring nine times ... Grabbed 10+ rebounds 13 times and posted 13 double-doubles ... Jazz went 16-9 when he scored 15+ points ... Missed seven games due to injury/illness: one with a left ankle and knee sprain (10/30), three with flu-like symptoms (11/18-11/21), one witha strained back (3/14), one game with a stomach ailment (3/20), one with left Achilles tendinitis (4/9) ... Also missed two games (2/19-2/21) for the birth of his son, Yigit ... Scored season-high 28 points vs. Portland (2/3) ... Had 27 points and 12 rebounds at Indiana (3/26) ... Also posted 27 points vs. L.A. Clippers (3/6) ... Tied career-high five blocks vs. Miami (1/11) ... Passed Jeff Hornacek for fourth place in franchise history for career three-pointers vs. Oklahoma City (11/24).

2008-09 :
Appeared in 72 games (all starts), averaging 17.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 33.5 minutes per game … Finished the season second on the team in points and second in total rebounds … Led the team in scoring 18 times, including a 43-point outburst versus Indiana (1/12), which was a career-high … Finished the season sixth in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage (.446) … Also hit on .485 of all field goal attempts and .817 of free throws … Had 23 double-doubles and collected a season-high 17 rebounds versus San Antonio (1/27) … Missed four games due to personal reasons (11/11-11/15) … Missed two games with a lower back strain (11/17, 12/23) … Had 21 points, 13 rebounds and four assists and hit a game-winning 11-foot fadeaway with 1.7 seconds left at Minnesota (12/9) … Missed two games due to back spasms (12/26-12/27) … The Jazz were 32-11 when Okur scored 15 or more points … Had the highest three-point field goal percentage in the NBA for the month of February (10 games, 21-of-313, .677) … Inactive for 9 games (11/11-11/17, 12/23-12/27, 2/17) and did not dress once (4/14) … Missed one game due to the flu (2/17) … Tied career high with three steals at Toronto (3/8) … Played a career-high 53 minutes at Miami (3/14).

OTHER:

Signed with Efes Pilsen in 2000 and led the team to the Turkish League Championship and was named the Finals MVP after averaging 7.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 16.0 minutes in 25 games … Played in 22 games for Efes Pilsen in 2001-02, where he averaged 13.5 points and 8.5 rebounds … As a member of the Turkish National Team, he won a silver medal in the 2001 European Championship … Participated in the 2002 Pistons International Games as a member of the Turkish National team in preparation for the 2002 FIBA World Basketball Championship … Was a member of the 2004 Turkish Olympic Team … Played for the Turkish National Team in the 2005 European Championships, averaging 7.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals in four games … Also competed for Turkey in EuroBasket 2007 in Spain, averaging 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds in six games.

PERSONAL:

Born in Yalova, Turkey on 5/26/79
Married model and the former Miss Turkey, Yeliz Caliska, in 2004
The couple had their first child, daughter Melisa, on 3/21/07
Carried the Olympic flame during the Olympic Torch relay in Istanbul prior to the 2004 Athens Olympics
Lists yellow as his favorite color, and owns a yellow Ferrari
Likes to eat sushi for lunch
Hobbies include watching movies, playing video games and shooting pool
Enjoys listening to Turkish music and hip-hop
Lives in Utah across the street from Andrei Kirilenko
Favorite player growing up was Toni Kukoc
Did not start playing basketball until age 15
Was an avid soccer player, playing goalkeeper growing up
Shoe size is 15
Has his own website, Memo13.com, which is available in both Turkish and English
Participates in the Jazz’s "Read to Achieve" program
Works with kids, teaching them basketball skills at Jr. Jazz clinics during the season
Nicknamed "Memo"
Also earned nickname “Money” for his late-game heroics

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