Former Turkish basketball player, Asım Pars was found dead at his home in Kalesija, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Monday.
He was 48 years old.
Police confirmed that Pars’s body was discovered in his family residence in the northeastern town.
Born in 1976, Pars began his basketball career with the Sloboda Tuzla team in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992.
He relocated to Türkiye during the Balkan Wars, which lasted from 1992 to 1995, and went on to enjoy a successful professional career.
During his time in Türkiye, Pars played for several prominent teams, including Galatasaray, Tuborg Pilsener, Ulkerspor, TOFAŞ, Fenerbahçe, Efes Pilsen, Pınar Karşıyaka, Türk Telekom, Mersin Buyukşehir Belediye and Erdemirspor.
Notably, he was part of the Turkish national team that secured a silver medal at the 2001 European Basketball Championship.
The Turkish basketball community mourns Pars’s passing, with condolences flooding in from various quarters.
Hidayet Türkoğlu, president of the Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF), expressed his sorrow on social media: “I was saddened to learn of the passing of Asım Pars, a significant figure in Turkish basketball. I wish peace for the deceased and extend my condolences to his family and the basketball community.”
The TBF also released a statement, saying, “We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our former national team player Asım Pars. We wish him peace and extend our condolences to his family and the basketball community.”
Numerous clubs and athletes, including Anadolu Efes, Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe, Karşıyaka, TOFAŞ and Türk Telekom, have shared messages of sympathy for Pars’s family during this difficult time.
