I hope for the sake of the other Turkish player in the NBA, Hidayet Turkoglu of the Orlando Magic, that I am right about this. But, having lost track of most pro sports over the years, I believe Mehmet Okur, who won an NBA title with the Detroit Pistons, is the first Turkish player to play in an NBA All-Star game. Alas, this year's game was on TNT, which folks with only basic cable, such as myself, will have to miss out on.
Nevertheless, Okur was named as a replacement player for the game by commisioner David Stern. The game was played earlier tonight in Las Vegas.
According to Tim Buckley of the Salt Lake City newspaper "Deseret Morning News," Okur has found speaking English to be the hardest part of adjusting to life in America: "I wasn't speak any words, so it was tough."
Okur said that he has taken a liking to juicy steaks, and he has felt comfortable being a Muslim in a predominantly Mormon state.
Okur also had the problem of gained weight in the off-season when he came to the Jazz from the Pistons. He wound up playing only in 25 out of 82 games in a season when the Jazz were a dismal 26-56 in the 2004/05 season.
But, Okur soon got back into shape and he has now played in a staggering 232 straight consecutive NBA games. He has hence earned the respect of his teammates and his coach Jerry Sloan.
The Utah Jazz made headlines a few weeks ago when it was revealed that one of their former players, John Armietti (check spelling) was gay. I suppose he could have given Okur good tips about how to adjust to life in conservative Utah. Though, admitedly when I went to SLC in 2002, I was amazed how hip the place was. But, something tells me that is not the case in Provo!
Lastly, I believe I owe the Jazz beat reporter Buckley an apology. I corrected a story he wrote about Okur last year. In the story, he mistakenly refered to Okur's hometown of Istanbul (actually, I've heard he is from Yalova, a small city near Istanbul) as the 'Turkish capital.' Of course, it is Ankara. But, amazingly enough, I heard the exact same mistake on NPR's "All Things Considered" this week!
If anyone knows who has won the NBA All-Star game, feel free to tell me!
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