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. He is
a 211 cm (6' 11") power forward/center.
Okur notes Toni Kukoč was his favorite player while
he was growing up. He helped the Turkish
22-and-under national team to 6th place at the 1997
world championship. Mehmet was transferred to Efes
Pilsen in 2000 and won a championship in the
2001-2002 Turkish Basketball League season. He
averaged 13.5 points per game during his last season
in Turkey.
He was named to the Western Conference All-Star team
for 2007 NBA All-Star Game. He and Ray Allen were
selected as replacements for injured original
members Allen Iverson and Steve Nash. He is the
first Turkish player to participate in this event.
He is married to model Yeliz Çalışkan, and they have
a daughter, Melisa, born on March 21, 2007.
