Former Turkish NBA center Omer Yurtseven has found a new home in his basketball career.
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Yurtseven has signed a deal with Panathinaikos, a Greek basketball club. The club announced the news last week. In a recent press release, Yurtseven expressed his excitement about joining his new club.
“I’m excited, I can’t wait to play for these fans,” said Yurtseven. “I feel particularly excited to now belong to the family of Panathinaikos, the team I watched a few months ago win the Euroleague. It’s a unique feeling.”
Yurtseven also expressed what it means to play for one of the more elite European coaches, three-time EuroLeague champion Ergin Ataman.
“It is really very important for me. He is an excellent coach. In the past, I worked with him on the national team. He erased a particularly successful course with Efes, while he also did a terrible job at Panathinaikos. I look forward to working together again.”
Omer Yurtseven # 77 of the Miami Heat walk back to the court after a timeout during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on January 05, 2022 in Portland, Oregon. Yurtseven has signed a deal with a Greek club.
Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images
Yurtseven has previously worked with Ataman, who coaches the Turkish national team, and he wasn’t shy about expressing how significant his presence was to his signing with the team.
Panathinaikos is coming off a dominant season in which they went 26-1 in Greek play and defeated Olympiacos to win the championship.
The 26-year-old from Uzbekistan heads to Panathinaikos after playing for close to a decade in the States. He started his college career playing for NC State for three seasons from 2016-18 and finished his NCAA stint at Georgetown in 2019-20.
His best season came with the Hoyas, where he averaged 15.5 points per game, 9,8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. After going undefeated in the 2020 NBA Draft, he signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder and played for their G League affiliate.
During the 2020-21 season, he signed with the Miami Heat in May and joined the Heat for the NBA Summer League. Five days later, he resigned with Miami and made his NBA debut in Dec. 2021, recording 16 points and 15 rebounds in a win over the Orlando Magic.
Yurtseven played with the Heat for two seasons and even played in the 2023 NBA Finals. As the eighth seed, Miami fell to the Denver Nuggets in five games.
Following the 2022-23 season, Yurtseven signed with the Utah Jazz but was waived a year later in early July 2024. Overall, the 26-year-old spent the past three seasons in the NBA and appeared in 113 games for the Heat and Jazz. He averaged 5.0 points per game and 4.6 rebounds in 11.8 minutes per contest.
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