Mehmet Okur

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Mehmet Okur

Position	Center
Nickname	Memo
Height	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Weight	263 lb (120 kg)
Team	Utah Jazz
Nationality	Turkey
Born	May 26, 1979 Yalova, Turkey
Draft	2^nd round, 38^th overall, 2001 Detroit Pistons
Pro career	2002 – present
Former teams	Detroit Pistons (2002–2004)

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.

Okur is a product of the youth program of Efes Pilsen, one of Turkey's top clubs. He helped the Turkish 22-and-under national team win the 1997 world championship. From 1998 to 1999, Okur played for Tofas Bursa, winning the Turkish National Cup and league championships. Okur was selected 38th overall in the second round of the 2001 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. He played two seasons for the Pistons from 2002 to 2004, helping Detroit win the NBA championship in June 2004. Because of salary cap limitations, the Pistons were unable to pay a top-level salary to Okur, but he was able to parlay his success into a six-year, US$50 million contract with the Jazz.

At 2.11 m (6'11") and 113 kg (249 lb), Okur is a large power forward. He has inside presence, but also a reliable jump shot extending to three-point range, and is a solid free throw shooter with an 80.7 career percentage. Nicknamed as "Memo"; Okur made his presence felt this past season from 12.9 points per game to 18.0 points per game, leading his team in scoring and rebounding , making him one of the league's most improved players.

Year	Team	MPG	PPG	APG	RPG	SPG	BPG
2002-03	DET	19.0	6.9	1.0	4.7	.35	.54
2003-04	DET	22.3	9.6	1.0	5.9	.51	.89
2004-05	UTA	28.1	12.9	2.0	7.5	.39	.83
2005-06	UTA	35.9	18.0	2.4	9.1	.49	.89

MPG: Minutes Per Game
PPG: Points Per Game
APG: Assists Per Game
RPG: Rebounds Per Game
SPG: Steals Per Game
BPG: Blocks Per Game

[edit] External links

Detroit Pistons 2003-04 NBA Champions

2001 NBA Draft
First Round Kwame Brown \| Tyson Chandler \| Pau Gasol \| Eddy Curry \| Jason Richardson \| Shane Battier \| Eddie Griffin \| DeSagana Diop \| Rodney White \| Joe Johnson \| Kedrick Brown \| Vladimir Radmanovic \| Richard Jefferson \| Troy Murphy \| Steven Hunter \| Kirk Haston \| Michael Bradley \| Jason Collins \| Zach Randolph \| Brendan Haywood \| Joseph Forte \| Jeryl Sasser \| Brandon Armstrong \| Raul Lopez \| Gerald Wallace \| Jamaal Tinsley \| Tony Parker \|
Second Round Trenton Hassell \| Gilbert Arenas\| Omar Cook \| Will Solomon \| Terence Morris \| Brian Scalabrine \| Jeff Trepagnier \| Damone Brown \| Mehmet Okur \| Michael Wright \| Earl Watson \| Jamison Brewer \| Bobby Simmons \| Eric Chenowith \| Kyle Hill \| Sean Lampley \| Loren Woods \| Ousmane Cisse \| Antonis Fotsis \| Ken Johnson \| Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje \| Alton Ford \| Andre Huston \| Jarron Collins \| Kenny Satterfield \| Maurice Jeffers \| Robertas Javtokas \| Alvin Jones \| Bryan Bracey