- Omer Yurtseven
- HT/WT: 6'11, 255 lbs
- Birthdate: 6/19/1998 (24)
- College: Georgetown
- Draft Info: Undrafted 2020 (MIA)
- Experience: Rookie
Ömer Faruk Yurtseven was born on June 19, 1998 is a Turkish basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association. He played basketball in college for the NC State Wolfpack and Georgetown Hoyas. He’s 7-foot-0 (2.13 meters) and 275 pounds (125 kilograms) for the center position.
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Ömer Yurtseven Early life and career
Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to Turkish parents, he played basketball in Turkey and played for the Turkish youth national team. Yurtseven was named to the top five of the 2014 FIBA European Under-16 Championship. He was also invited to the Jordan Brand Classic International.
On March 20, 2015, he made his Europa League debut against Emporio Armani Milano, scoring 2 points in 1 min and 4 seconds of playing time.
Yurtseven played against the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on October 5, 2015. In the team’s win over the Nets, he had 8 points, 7 rebounds and 1 block in 15:18 of playing time. At 17, he would be the youngest player to play in an NBA preseason at the time.
In an under-18 game in Turkey, Yurtseven had a double-double, 91 points (more points than he had in the entire game), shot 34-for-49 (including five 3-pointers), and grabbed 28 rebounds in a 115-82 victory over youth club Eylul Basketbol Ihtisas.
On February 15, 2016, he left Fenerbahce to play college basketball, saying he needed more minutes than he did at Fenerbahce.
College career
It was announced that Yurtseven would be playing college basketball at North Carolina State University on May 16, 2016. However, since he previously played for Fenerbahce, in some pro games, the NCAA decided to suspend him for the first nine games of the season (roughly 30% of the schedule) and asked him to donate $1,000 to the team . The charitable cause he chose in exchange for playing time he was fully eligible for moving forward. After completing his suspension, he returned on Dec. 15 with a victory over Appalachian State. On March 14, 2017, Yurtseven will test his stock in the 2017 NBA draft, leaving the possibility of him returning to North Carolina State during his sophomore season. After trying out the 2017 NBA combined draft, his father announced that he would be returning to North Carolina State for his sophomore year.
During his sophomore year, he improved his scoring average from 5.9 to 13.5. This significant increase earned him All-ACC Third Team honors. On March 21, 2018, Yurtseven will again be tested for the 2018 NBA Draft. However, even if he stayed at the university, he confirmed that he would not return to North Carolina, but instead asked to transfer to another university.
On April 16, 2018, Yurtseven announced that he would be moving to Georgetown. He is eligible to play for Hoyas from the 2019-20 season and has two more years left. Yurtseven scored 20 points on his Georgetown debut in an 81-68 victory over Mount St. Mary. He averaged 15.5 points and 9.8 rebounds but missed seven games with an ankle injury. On April 28, 2020, he announced for the 2020 NBA draft and would not be returning to Georgetown.
Professional career
Oklahoma City Blue (2021)
Yurtseven signed an Exhibit 10 agreement with the Oklahoma City Thunder on December 8, 2020, after being unselected in the 2020 NBA Draft. He was fired the next day. On January 28, 2021, Yurtseven was named to the Oklahoma City Blues roster, the NBA G League affiliate of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Miami Heat (2021–present)
On May 14, 2021, Yurtseven signed with the Miami Heat. On August 1, he joined the Heat to participate in the NBA Summer League [renewed with the Heat five days later. On Dec. 26, Yurtseven made his first career start with 16 points and 15 rebounds in a 93-83 win over the Orlando Magic.
National team career
Yurtseven is a member of the Turkish youth national team. With Turkey’s youth national team, he participated in the 2013 FIBA European Under-16 Championship and the 2014 FIBA European Under-16 Championship, where he was selected for the best team. He also competed in the 2015 FIBA European Under-18 Championship and won a silver medal, and won a bronze medal in the 2016 FIBA European Under-20 Championship and was named to the best team. He ended his career with Turkey’s youth national team at the 2017 FIBA European Under-20 Championship.