Deniz Kılıçlı

Deniz Kılıçlı — Biography

Deniz Kılıçlı is a 2.05-metre power forward and center who stands out in Turkish basketball for his American college experience. Playing for West Virginia University he became the first Turkish player to appear in an NCAA Final Four, and he won a gold medal with the national team at the 2013 Mediterranean Games. His full name is Mükremin Deniz Kılıçlı, and he is from Samsun.

His years in the United States began at Mountain State University and continued at West Virginia. In his first season with the Mountaineers the NCAA suspended him for playing on a team in Turkey that included a professional player, so he missed the first 20 games and debuted in February 2010. Undrafted in the 2013 NBA draft, he signed with Anadolu Efes, the club where he had started playing, and in his first EuroLeague season he averaged 1.9 points and 1.7 rebounds in 9 games. He played for İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor from 2015 to 2017. He signed with Büyükçekmece Basketbol in December 2017 and agreed a new deal in July 2018; his next stops were Bahçeşehir Koleji in July 2020, Büyükçekmece again in July 2021 and Pınar Karşıyaka in July 2022, with whom he re-signed in June 2023.

In July 2024 he joined Ankaragücü in the Türkiye Basketbol Ligi and in November 2024 Mersin MSK; in October 2025 he agreed terms with Çayırova Belediye. Since 2015 he has been married to national volleyball player Büşra Cansu.