A lot of international leagues are littered with former NBA players. These guys love to go back to their native continent in order to finish their basketball career. Some play internationally in an attempt to get back into the NBA. There are a lot of good players who also decided to play overseas because it pays more than the veteran minimum they’d receive in the NBA.
The EuroLeague is deeper than it has ever been. There are teams from all over Europe that have former NBA players as well as future NBA players. That’s what makes the competition so compelling for most of the teams in and around the EuroLeague.
A former NBA player who has now decided to head back to his native country to keep playing basketball is Furkan Korkmaz. Korkmaz played in the NBA for seven seasons, all with the Philadelphia 76ers. He last played with Philly just last season when he appeared in 35 games for the 76ers.
During his NBA career, he averaged 6.8 points per game while playing just under 17 minutes per game. He’s a career 36 percent 3-point shooter as well. He had been playing for AS Monaco of the EuroLeague earlier this season but has now signed with a new team.
Korkmaz has decided to move back to his native Turkey to finish out this season. He has signed with Bahcesehir Kol for the rest of the 2024-25 season. The team announced his signing with a post on social media.
🚨 𝐅𝐮𝐫𝐤𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐦𝐚𝐳, 𝐁𝐚𝐡𝐜̧𝐞𝐬̧𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐫 𝐊𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐣𝐢’𝐧𝐝𝐞!
🤝 Son olarak EuroLeague ekiplerinden Monaco forması giyen, 2017-2024 yılları arasında Philadelphia 76ers formasıyla NBA’de gururla izlediğimiz Milli oyuncumuz Furkan Korkmaz ile 2024-2025 sezonu sonuna… pic.twitter.com/PX4gtZgisc
— Bahçeşehir Koleji Spor Kulübü (@BKBasketbol) December 30, 2024
Korkmaz is still just 27 years old, so he’s in the prime of his career. He could play well during this final stretch and give himself a shot to get back into the NBA if he so chooses. His shooting is something that is a valuable skill, especially off the bench. His defense and lack of playmaking has been the issue.
The team that Korkmaz is joining definitely needs some help. They currently sit at 7-5, which is eighth in their league. They are hoping that Korkmaz can help them on the offensive end. In international basketball, the three-point line is closer, so that might help Korkmaz’s shooting percentage.
Korkmaz didn’t play a lot of minutes while he was with A.S. Monaco, which is why he wanted out. He played in just four games and averaged just 4.3 points per game. He’s hoping to put up better numbers in his native country.
More Ball Around news: Former NBA Star Boban Marjanovic Leaves Turkish Team for CBA Club Mid-Season
