Hüseyin Öztürk

Hüseyin Öztürk — Biography

Hüseyin Öztürk was born in 1928 in Çorum. After moving to the United States with his family, he took up basketball during his school years there, growing to a height of 1.96 meters. Back in Turkey, his father's recommendation brought him to Galatasaray, where the player -- known by the nickname "Amerikalı Hüseyin" ("American Hüseyin") -- helped the club win Istanbul Men's Basketball League titles.

At the 1949 European Basketball Championship in Egypt, Turkey's first appearance in the tournament, Öztürk led all scorers with a 19.3-point average and was also named the event's Most Valuable Player. Only a handful of players have since matched that scoring-title-and-MVP double in the tournament's history: Radivoj Korać (1969), Nikos Galis (1987), Šarūnas Marčiulionis (1995), Dirk Nowitzki (2005), Pau Gasol (2009 and 2015), and Tony Parker (2013). According to an October 14, 1953 report in the newspaper Milliyet, Öztürk wore the national team jersey 13 times, five of them as captain.