Ronny Turiaf

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Ronny Turiaf

Position	Power Forward
Height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Weight	249 lb (113 kg)
Team	Los Angeles Lakers
Nationality	France
Born	January 13, 1983 (age 24) Le Robert, Martinique
College	Gonzaga
Draft	37th overall, 2005 Los Angeles Lakers
Pro career	2006–present
Awards	WCC Player of the Year in 2005

Ronny Turiaf (born January 13, 1983 in Le Robert, Martinique) is a French basketball player, selected in the second round (37th pick overall) of the 2005 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. He primarily plays power forward, but also sees playing time at center, particularly when the Lakers' regular centers are injured or in foul trouble. His first name is pronounced as rhyming with pony.

Turiaf spent most of his childhood in Martinique, moving at age 15 to Paris to attend Insep (National Institute of Physical Education), which combines secondary school with elite-level athletic training. By 1999, he had made the French under-18 national team, and in 2000 he and future NBA stars Tony Parker, Boris Diaw, and Mickael Pietrus helped lead France to the European under-18 championship.

In 2001, he left France to attend Gonzaga University, playing four years. In his last three years at Gonzaga, he was named a first-team All-West Coast Conference player, and was the conference's Player of the Year in his senior year (2004-05). For his career at Gonzaga, he averaged 13.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, averaging 15.9 points and 9.5 rebounds as a senior.

After being drafted, Turiaf signed his rookie contract with the Lakers. Then, while preparing to play with the Lakers' summer league team in 2005, he underwent a physical which uncovered a heart-related problem; a more comprehensive exam found an enlarged aortic root, known as aneurysm of sinus of Valsalva. As a result of Turiaf's condition, the Lakers voided his rookie contract. However, given the doctors' prognosis that successful surgery should correct the problem and possibly allow Turiaf to return to a basketball career, the team paid for his surgery after the NBA did not prohibit them from doing so.

Turiaf underwent open-heart surgery on July 26, 2005. He was initially expected to miss the entire 2005-06 NBA season and to work toward joining the Lakers for the 2006-07 campaign. However, after being given what Laker coach Phil Jackson termed "a new lease on life", Turiaf recovered more quickly than expected. Just six months after his surgery, he signed a new contract with the Lakers, forgoing an opportunity to play in Spain for more money. He was able to play by the middle of the 2005-06 season, but was used only sparingly, as Jackson was still wary about playing him.

After his rookie season, Turiaf was named to the French national basketball team for the 2006 Basketball World Championship tournament.

On Wednesday, November 1, 2006, in the second game of the 2006-2007 season, Turiaf scored career highs in almost every category, including 23 points, against the Golden State Warriors. So far in the 2006-07 season, he has been a key component, given the absence of teammates Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown, due to injury.

When in the game, Turiaf is noted for the high level of energy with which he plays. When not in the game, he remains an animated cheerleader from the Laker bench, well-known for his sideline antics and for keeping his team joyful, even when losing.

[edit] See also

List of French NBA players

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME	Turiaf, Ronny
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Professional basketball player
DATE OF BIRTH	January 13, 1983
PLACE OF BIRTH	Le Robert, Martinique
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH

2005 NBA Draft
First Round Andrew Bogut \| Marvin Williams \| Deron Williams \| Chris Paul \| Raymond Felton \| Martell Webster \| Charlie Villanueva \| Channing Frye \| Ike Diogu \| Andrew Bynum \| Fran Vázquez \| Yaroslav Korolev \| Sean May \| Rashad McCants \| Antoine Wright \| Joey Graham \| Danny Granger \| Gerald Green \| Hakim Warrick \| Julius Hodge \| Nate Robinson \| Jarrett Jack \| Francisco García \| Luther Head \| Johan Petro \| Jason Maxiell \| Linas Kleiza \| Ian Mahinmi \| Wayne Simien \| David Lee
Second Round Salim Stoudamire \| Daniel Ewing \| Brandon Bass \| C.J. Miles \| Ricky Sánchez \| Ersan İlyasova \| Ronny Turiaf \| Travis Diener \| Von Wafer \| Monta Ellis \| Roko Ukić \| Chris Taft \| Mile Ilić \| Martynas Andriuškevičius \| Louis Williams \| Erazem Lorbek \| Bracey Wright \| Mickaël Gelabale \| Andray Blatche \| Ryan Gomes \| Robert Whaley \| Axel Hervelle \| Orien Greene \| Dijon Thompson \| Lawrence Roberts \| Amir Johnson \| Marcin Gortat \| Uroš Slokar \| Cenk Akyol \| Alex Acker