Last Updated on May 29, 2026 by Mat Diekhake
Mehmet “Memo” Okur brought a rare combination of size, shooting touch, and offensive versatility that helped redefine what an NBA center could do during the 2000s. Best remembered for his years with the Utah Jazz, he became one of the league’s most reliable stretch big men and earned an All-Star selection through his ability to space the floor and score from virtually anywhere on the court.
Player Profile
- Full Name: Mehmet Murat Okur
- Nationality: Turkish
- Date of Birth: May 26, 1979
- Hometown: Yalova, Turkey
- Height: 6 feet 11 inches (211 cm)
- Weight: 249 pounds (112 kg)
- Position: Power Forward / Center
- Jersey Number: 13
- High School: Information not publicly available
- College: Information not publicly available
- NBA Draft: Selected in the 2nd round, 38th overall pick by the Detroit Pistons in the 2001 NBA Draft
- Teams Played For:
- Detroit Pistons (2002–2004)
- Utah Jazz (2004–2010)
- New Jersey Nets (2010–2011)
- NBA Championship Rings: 1 (2004 with the Detroit Pistons)
- Career Highlights:
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- Named to the NBA All-Star team in 2007 as a member of the Utah Jazz
- Known for his three-point shooting and ability to space the floor
- First Turkish player in NBA history to win an NBA championship
- Spouse: Yeliz Çalışkan (married on July 7, 2004)
- Children: Daughter Melisa (born March 21, 2007), son Yiğit Mehmet (born February 19, 2010), and son Mert Mehmet (born November 19, 2014)
- Siblings: Information not publicly available
Coaching Career:
- In 2016, Okur was named a player development coach for the Phoenix Suns, becoming the first Turkish citizen to enter the coaching world in the NBA
Player Archetype / Play Style
Memo Okur was a skilled stretch big whose archetype blended traditional size with perimeter touch, making him one of the more offensive-minded centers of his era. Defensively, he was more positional than explosive, typically filling a team-defense role in the paint by using size and awareness to hold ground inside rather than functioning as a pure shot-blocking anchor. Offensively, he was far more distinctive: a floor-spacing center/power forward who could punish defenses with pick-and-pop shooting, mid-range touch, and inside-out scoring, while still giving value as a rebounder and secondary option in half-court sets. Physically, Okur stood 6-foot-11 and was listed around 260 pounds, giving him legitimate frontcourt size with enough skill to operate well away from the basket. In simple terms, his style was that of a smooth, finesse-oriented big man who stretched the floor, made big shots, and created matchup problems by forcing slower interior defenders to leave the paint. (Basketball Reference)
Sources:
Mehmet Okur Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and More — Basketball-Reference
Mehmet Okur | Center — NBA.com
Players – Utah Jazz — Utah Jazz