Mehmet Okur
history
| birth_place = Yalova, Turkey
| college =
| draft = 2nd round, 38th overall
| draft_year = 2001
| draft_team = Detroit Pistons
| career_start = 1997
| career_end =
| former_teams = Oyak Renault (1997β1998)
TofaΕ S.K. (1998β2000)
Efes Pilsen (2000β2002)
Detroit Pistons (2002β2004)
| awards = 2007 NBA All-Star
1x NBA Champion (2004)
}}
}}
Mehmet Okur (born May 26, 1979 in Yalova, Turkey) is a Turkish professional basketball player who currently plays for the Utah Jazz of the NBA. He is a 211 cm (6' 11")»NBA Player Profile power forwardcenter.
On March 13, Okur became the franchise leader for making the most three-pointers in one month with 21 out of 31.»Mehmet Okur Beats Jazz 3-Pointer Record He has missed two games this season snapping his streak (233 consecutive games). On Monday, January 12, 2009, Okur established a new career high in points scored when he scored 43 points against the Indiana Pacers.
On July 10, 2009 Okur signed a two-year contract extension reportedly worth approximately $21 million.
Last updated: May 19, 2009.»NBA.com: Mehmet Okur Retrieved May 19, 2009
|-
| align="left" | 2002β03
| align="left" | Detroit
| 72 || 9 || 19.0 || .426 || .339 || .733 || 4.7 || 1.0 || .3 || .5 || 6.9
|-
| align="left" | 2003β04
| align="left" | Detroit
| 71 || 33 || 22.3 || .463 || .375 || .775 || 5.9 || 1.0 || .5 || .9 || 9.6
|-
| align="left" | 2004β05
| align="left" | Utah
| 82 || 25 || 28.1 || .468 || .270 || .850 || 7.5 || 2.0 || .4 || .8 || 12.9
|-
| align="left" | 2005β06
| align="left" | Utah
| 82 || 82 || 35.9 || .460 || .342 || .780 || 9.1 || 2.4 || .5 || .9 || 18.0
|-
| align="left" | 2006β07
| align="left" | Utah
| 80 || 80 || 33.3 || .462 || .384 || .765 || 7.2 || 2.0 || .4 || .5 || 17.6
|-
| align="left" | 2007β08
| align="left" | Utah
| 72 || 72 || 33.2 || .445 || .388 || .804 || 7.7 || 2.0 || .8 || .4 || 14.5
|-
| align="left" | 2008β09
| align="left" | Utah
| 72 || 72 || 33.5 || .485 || .446 || .817 || 7.7 || 1.7 || .8 || .7 || 17.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 531 || 373 || 29.5 || .461 || .377 || .795 || 7.2 || 1.7 || .5 || .6 || 13.9
|-
| align="left" | All-Star
| align="left" |
| 1 || 0 || 15.0 || 1.000 || .000 || .000 || 2.0 || 1.0 || .0 || .0 || 4.0
|-
| align="left" | 2002β03
| align="left" | Detroit
| 17 || 0 || 19.0 || .438 || .538 || .531 || 4.1 || .8 || .7 || .7 || 5.5
|-
| align="left" | 2003β04
| align="left" | Detroit
| 22 || 0 || 11.5 || .470 || .400 || .692 || 2.8 || .4 || .2 || .4 || 3.7
|-
| align="left" | 2006β07
| align="left" | Utah
| 17 || 17 || 34.4 || .388 || .316 || .786 || 7.8 || 1.8 || 1.4 || .9 || 11.8
|-
| align="left" | 2007β08
| align="left" | Utah
| 12 || 12 || 38.5 || .423 || .373 || .773 || 11.8 || 1.9 || .7 || .7 || 15.4
|-
| align="left" | 2008β09
| align="left" | Utah
| 2 || 2 || 21.5 || .167 || .333 || .750 || 5.0 || 2.0 || .0 || .5 || 4.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 70 || 31 || 23.8 || .412 || .358 || .709 || 5.9 || 1.1 || .7 || .7 || 8.1
Early career
Okur notes Toni KukoΔ was his favorite player while he was growing up.»NBA.com: Mehmet Okur Biography Retrieved February 18, 2007 He helped the Turkish 22-and-under national team to 6th place at the 1997 world championship.»World Championship fo.net/pd.asp?p=243 TBLstat.net: Mehmet Okur Retrieved February 18, 2007 Mehmet was transferred to Efes Pilsen in 2000 and won a championship in the 2001β2002 Turkish Basketball League season.»Turkish Basketball League history Retrieved February 18, 2007 He averaged 13.5 points per game during his last season in Turkey.»TBLstat.net: Mehmet Okur Retrieved February 18, 2007
NBA career
Detroit Pistons
Okur was selected 38th overall in the second round of the 2001 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons.»Draft Profile: Mehmet Okur Retrieved February 18, 2007 He played two seasons for the Pistons from 2002/03 to 2003/04, helping Detroit win the NBA championship in June 2004. He became the first Turkish player to win an NBA championship. Due to salary cap limitations, the Pistons were unable to pay a top-level salary for Okur, but he was able to parlay his success into a six-year, US$50 million contract with the Utah Jazz.
Utah Jazz
At 2.11 m (6'11") and 119.3 kg (263 lb), Okur plays the center and power forward positions for the Utah Jazz. He has inside presence, but also has a reliable jump shot extending to the three-point range and is a solid free throw shooter with an 80.7 career percentage. On his first season (2004-2005) with Utah, he played in all 82 games, starting in 25 of them. Nicknamed "Memo", Okur had made his presence felt on his second (2005-2006) season with Utah from 12.9 points per game the previous season to 18.0 points per game, leading his team in scoring and rebounding, making him one of the league's most improved players. He started in all 82 games for the second straight season, as the only Utah Jazz player doing so. This season, he continued being a key player for Utah. He has also improved his 3 point shot,»NBA.com: Mehmet Okur Retrieved February 18, 2007 and is known as a strong clutch player for the Jazz.»Okur named 2007 All Star
All-Star
He was named to the Western Conference All-Star team for 2007 NBA All-Star Game. He and Ray Allen were selected as replacements for injured original members Allen Iverson and Steve Nash.»Allen, Okur get call to replace injured All-Star players, Retrieved February 13, 2007 He is the first Turkish player to participate in this event.
Personal life
He is married to model and former Miss Turkey finalist Yeliz ΓalΔ±Εkan. They have a daughter, Melisa, born on March 21, 2007, and a son, Yigit Mehmet, born on February 19, 2010. He is a Muslim. [http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,660196664,00.html]
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