Hidayet Türkoğlu Honored | Sports News Update

46-year-old Türkoğlu, who has achieved countless successes in his 20-year career in the National Basketball Team, Anadolu Efes and the American Basketball League (NBA), and has served Turkish basketball as the president of the federation since 2016 after ending his active career, became the first Turkish athlete to be elected to the “FIBA Hall of Fame”.

Türkoğlu, who attracted attention by winning 5 cups in 4 years with Anadolu Efes in his professional career that started 30 years ago, started his historical journey of 997 games by being selected 16th by the Sacramento Kings in the 2000 NBA draft.

Türkoğlu, who was the first Turkish player to start a game in the NBA and earned the nickname “Mr. Fourth Quarter” with his contribution to the team in the last quarter of his second season with Magic, came very close to the championship in the 2009 NBA finals, but could not overcome the Los Angeles Lakers obstacle.

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Türkoğlu, who enjoyed silver medals with the Turkish National Team in the 2001 European Championship and 2010 World Championship hosted by Istanbul, was selected for the top 5 of the World Championship, where he competed with an average of 12.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists.

Türkoğlu, who built one of the world’s leading facilities for Turkish basketball during his term as president of the federation, made history by taking his podium success as an athlete at the European Championship outside Türkiye’s borders for the first time last summer.

“12 GIANT MEN” LEGEND HİDAYET TÜRKOĞLU

Türkoğlu, who wore the national jersey 309 times in all age groups and scored 3 thousand 475 points, was part of the squad that won the silver medal in the European Championship in 2001 and the World Championship in 2010.

Türkoğlu, who played an important role on the way to the final in the 2010 World Championship with an average of 12.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists, was selected for the best 5 of the tournament.

Turkoglu; He fought for the success of the crescent-star jersey in the European championships in 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013 and the World championships in 2002 and 2010.

Türkoğlu, who first wore the national jersey in 1994, achieved performances that are etched in the memories of basketball fans with the national team jersey, as well as in the NBA.

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Türkoğlu, who experienced his first European Championship excitement in the National Team in 1999 and played an average of 24.6 minutes per match, became the top scorer of the national team with an average of 12.4 points.

Appearing on stage in the semi-final match of the 2001 European Championship hosted by Istanbul, where Germany was ahead 70-67 in the last 9 seconds, 22-year-old Türkoğlu took the match to overtime with a 3-point basket. Türkoğlu, who used the last ball in overtime and took the national team to the final; He approached the “triple double” with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists.

Türkoğlu, who took part in 6 matches in the championship and played with an average of 15.5 points, was among the best of the star and crescent team with his average performance of 3.5 assists.

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In the last 16 rounds of the 2010 World Cup, where the national team beat France 95-77, Türkoğlu played one of his best matches in the tournament. In the match where the national team entered the last quarter with a 26-point lead, Türkoğlu said; He played with 20 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

Türkoğlu, who showed one of the best performances of his career by scoring 34 points against Italy in the second round of the 2007 European Championship, took the match to overtime, but Italy won the match.

The national team, which entered a period of stagnation after 2010, ended its 15-year longing for medals, this time when Türkoğlu was the president of the federation.

The second place in Europe, achieved in Riga, the capital of Latvia, was the first podium success outside the borders of Türkiye at the national team level.

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Türkoğlu’s average points, rebounds and assists in the European and World Championship finals in his crescent-star team career are as follows:

HE PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN ANADOLU EFES’ FIRST “FINAL FOUR” SUCCESS

Türkoğlu, who was born in Istanbul on March 19, 1979 and attracted the attention of Anadolu Efes with his performance at a young age, started professionalism at the age of 16.

Reaching an average of 13.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in 22 matches in the 1999-2000 Europa League season, Türkoğlu played a major role in Anadolu Efes becoming the first Turkish team to qualify for the “Final Four”.

The doors of the NBA were opened for 20-year-old Türkoğlu, who made a great contribution to his team with his versatile play between 1996 and 2000 and won 1 league championship and two Turkish Cup and Presidential Cup championships.

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THE HISTORICAL JOURNEY OF 997 MATCHES STARTED WITH THE KINGS

Türkoğlu, who was selected 16th by the Sacramento Kings in the 2000 NBA draft, made history as the second Turkish basketball player to step into the NBA after Mirsad Türkcan.

Türkoğlu, who became the first Turkish player in NBA history to start the game in which the Kings defeated the Houston Rockets 111-98 on December 8, 2000, left the court with 16 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist.

Türkoğlu, who was included in the “NBA’s second best rookie team” in his first season and was nominated for the “6th best man” award in his second year, when he averaged 10.1 points and 4.5 rebounds, went to the 1999 and 2003 NBA champion San Antonio Spurs in the summer of 2003 in a triple trade.

IN ORLANDO FOR THE “MAGICAL” YEARS OF HIS CAREER

Turkoglu, who was transferred to Orlando Magic, which also included Dwight Howard, in the summer of 2004, broke his career record with 39 points against the Washington Wizards in March 2008.

David Steele, who described Magic’s games in the NBA, said: “He is a unique and versatile talent mix. He has a rare combination of height, intelligence, shooting and playmaking ability.” Türkoğlu, whom he described as “the most improved player of the NBA” in the 2007-2008 season when he achieved 19.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 45.6 percent field goal percentage, was awarded the “Best Improved Player of the NBA” award.

28-year-old Türkoğlu, who reached the peak of his career with Stan Van Gundy, who took over the team in the summer of 2007, took his team to the NBA finals during a time when, as Magic’s digital content manager Josh Cohen put it, “he played with ice in his veins”.

In the first round of the play-offs in 2009, in the 4th game against the Philadelphia 76ers, where they were trailing 2-1 in the series, Türkoğlu made the game-winning 3-point shot with 1.1 seconds left.

The national athlete, who scored a “double double” with 25 points and 12 assists against the Boston Celtics in the 7th game of the conference semi-final, where they won the series 4-3, also scored double digits in 6 games against the Cleveland Cavaliers with LeBron James.

Türkoğlu, who scored more than 20 points in two games against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first final series of his career, made a block on Kobe Bryant in the last minutes of the second game and is etched in memories. Lakers became champions by winning the series 4-1.

Apart from 2009, Türkoğlu reached 1 conference final and 5 semi-finals in the play-offs in his NBA career.

Türkoğlu went to Toronto Raptors in July 2009, and his fifth stop in the NBA was the Phoenix Suns, to which he was traded in the summer of 2010. The national athlete returned to his former team Magic in December 2010 after 25 games and completed his NBA career with the Los Angeles Clippers.

TURKISH BASKETBALL PLAYER WHO PLAYED THE MOST MATCHES IN THE NBA

Türkoğlu, who played for 6 teams in his 15-year NBA career, played 997 games (571 in the first five) in the regular season and 109 games in the play-offs, earning him the title of “the Turkish basketball player who played the most games in the NBA”.

Türkoğlu, who completed his NBA career with averages of 11.1 points, 4 rebounds and 2.8 assists, has not yet been surpassed as the only Turkish player to exceed the 10 thousand points threshold (11 thousand 22).

Türkoğlu left an unforgettable legacy in the club’s history with the statistics he achieved at Orlando Magic.

In Magic’s all-time statistical rankings, Türkoğlu is first in the number of minutes played (fifth, 16 thousand 233), number of three-point field goals (fifth, 794), number of assists (sixth, 1,927), number of free throws (sixth, 1,402), points scored (seventh, 7 thousand 216), number of games played (seventh, 497), number of rebounds (eighth, 2 thousand 221). It ranks at 10.

ATILIM IN FACILITIES, Türkiye’S FIRST BASKETBALL HIGH SCHOOL

After ending his active career, Türkoğlu served as TBF Chief Executive Officer (CEO) between November 2015 and June 2016, and was elected president of the federation three times in a row as of October 2016.

Türkoğlu, who spent a lot of time for the Turkcell Basketball Development Center, which he called “my biggest dream” during his term as the president of the federation, brought basketball a large facility that was put into service with the 2024-25 season Presidential Cup.

Turkcell Basketball Development Center, which is among the world’s leading basketball facilities, draws attention with the fact that matches can be played simultaneously in 5 halls serving national teams and infrastructures, as well as its main hall.

Türkiye’s first basketball high school, located in a facility of approximately 70 thousand square meters, opened its doors to students this year with the aim of training athletes and managers for Turkish basketball.

FIBA HONOR LIST

FIBA Hall of Fame, which was established with the aim of recording the history of international basketball, its development process and the names that shaped the game, aims to honor the figures who contributed to the spread of basketball around the world and its roots in different continents.

Basketball is not only about sporting achievements; Figures who transformed the game, brought basketball to a leap forward in their countries and created an impact across continents are selected for the FIBA ​​Hall of Fame, which is evaluated on the basis of impact, continuity and historical trace.

In addition to Türkoğlu, Sue Bird (USA), Celine Dumerc (France), Clarisse Machanguana (Mozambique), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), Ismenia Pauchard (Chile), Wang Zhizhi (China) and Ludwik Mietta-Mikolajevicz (Poland) were also elected to the FIBA ​​Hall of Fame this year.

A ceremony will be held in Berlin, the capital of Germany, on April 21, 2026 for those elected to the 2026 “Honor List”.