Hedo Turkoglu discusses boos from Turkish stands and federation's blaming / News - Basketnews.com

Hedo Turkoglu talked about the growth of European basketball involving Jokic, Giannis, and Doncic. The Turkish star also addressed tough times as a president of the Turkish Basketball Federation and a different mentality between overseas and the U.S.

Credit: Vid Ponikvar/Sportida/SIPA-Scanpix Credit Vid Ponikvar/Sportida/SIPA-Scanpix

Turkish basketball legend Hedo Turkoglu recently appeared on Knuckleheads Podcast with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles, where he talked about his professional path, NBA stuff, and Europe-related matters.

Hidayet Turkoglu

Position:SFAge:43Height:208 cmWeight:100 kgBirth place:Istanbul, TurkeyProfileNewsStatistics

Turkoglu, a 15-season NBA veteran, is best known for his career stage in the Orlando Magic. During the late 2000s, Orlando rose to prominence in the Eastern Conference, thanks in large part to the dynamic partnership between Turkoglu and Dwight Howard.

Throughout his first stint with the Magic (2004-09), Turkoglu won the NBA's Most Improved Player for the 2007-08 NBA season and played in the NBA Finals in 2009. The Magic then stumbled against the Los Angeles Lakers, losing the series in five games, 1-4.

Turkoglu led the Magic with 18.0 points per game in the Finals.

What it was like to walk around Turkey after such a high-level performance?

"The whole country calling you," Turkoglu admitted. "The president is calling you, the prime minister is calling you. Pretty much you are the most talked guy. Because it didn't happen at that time. Mehmet Okur won the NBA in 2004, but there were five years from his time until mine.

I was making an impact and playing games, so they [Turkish people] wanted me to be a part of every commercial. I swear to God, they wanted to put you on every commercial, any TV show, or any podcast. People just wanted to be around you," the 43-year-old said.

"Thank God, I was married at that time (laughs). I would have been a crazy motherf***er, I'm telling you," he added amusingly.

Turkoglu started his NBA path with the Sacramento Kings after going 16th overall in the 2000 NBA Draft. His career lasted up until 2015.

During this period, he played alongside some of the best European and international talents. But as Turkoglu says, none of them made a bigger impact than the current NBA star trio of Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Doncic.

"The growth of European basketball and its impact is unbelievable," Turkoglu emphasized. "Back in the day, it was just a few Europeans. At that time, Dirk was the best. For me, he is still the best European player ever. Then you also had Pau [Gasol], you had Manu [Ginobili], even though Manu is not European, he grew up in Europe, he played in Italy and came here [to NBA]. Tony Parker. Peja [Stojakovic]. Vlade [Divac].

Like there were players who were All-Stars and had good impacts on the teams but if you look at the last four years, European players have been MVPs and winning the NBA Finals.

You have Jokic, Giannis, and Luka. If you look at those guys and how they changed the look of European basketball, it's crazy. They also helped to grow basketball in Europe too. Kids start trying to improve themselves more and more, trying to come to the NBA more and more, and trying to be part of this organization. They can see right now that they can be the best players on the team and dominate the league. It's really huge," Turkoglu pointed out.

The former basketball player then talked extensively about his presidential role in the Turkish Basketball Federation.

Turkoglu has been leading Turkish basketball since October 2016.

"It's different because you are now in professional life. The expectations are different. The approach is different. People look at you in a different way than an ex-basketball player who played in the NBA," Turkoglu said.

"It [presidency] has good things and tough times. In Europe, it's different than here [U.S.]. Everything depends on results. If you are winning, you are good; if you lose, they have to blame somebody. We get this [to experience] every weekend. We have like 50 games in Turkey over the weekend. Somebody has to win, right? Whoever wins, thumbs up; whoever loses, they are cursing me out. Like, it's my refs, my organization.

Yo, somebody has to win and somebody has to lose. Overseas, this is the hardest part, trying to help people out. The sport is about winning and losing. Overseas, if you lose, it's f***king Turkoglu's fault. How the f**k is my fault? I don't play, you build the team," Hedo kept explaining the whole situation in Turkey.

"In EuroLeague, they have decent teams with a 30 million dollar budget, and there are teams with a 3 million dollar budget. It's unbalanced already, like the quality of the players. When a potentially stronger team beats a weaker team, it's normal, right? If you look from the players-wise. It shouldn't be surprising to anybody. But even those weaker teams blame the federation that we helped the richer team to beat them.

I am like, 'How the hell?' One player [on the stronger team] makes 3 million dollars and your whole budget is 3 million dollars. He makes as much as your whole team, and now you are blaming the federation, 'It's your ref and the organization'. That's the hardest part," Turkoglu confessed.

"You are trying to do something for your country with your experience, what you have learned there [in the U.S.], trying to bring that to young generations, but sometimes, it gets really hard. So, when that time comes, I arrive to the United States, stay a few weeks here, relax, clean my mind, and go back to that war again."

What makes Turkoglu want to be a part of the basketball system in Turkey?

"As you said, you have to be stupid (laughs)," Turkoglu referred to Darius Miles' comments about a tough working environment. "But I just don't look at this job for the results of the games. I want to change something that never happened in the basketball federation. I am building that has never been done in the whole Turkish basketball history. These kinds of things give me passion. Plus, I have friends around me who will help me out.

Building facilities, helping the kids education-wise, connecting kids with schools," Turkoglu started naming works. "We are trying to do our best. We are also helping our officiating to be in a better system. We are trying to get them [referees] paid, so they can only focus on this job. ... You are trying to do some educational stuff with young kids, so you can put them in high school and college. I want to build a legacy," Turkoglu stressed.

"Even my wife sometimes says like, 'Why do you have to go through this?' I swear to God, you go to games in Turkey and 10 thousand people are booing you. Things come ahead of everything when you are on top of the organization. Crazy. I can do nothing about that.

I come to the NBA game here, people give me like a standing ovation. You go back to your own country, 10 thousand people boo you; you come here, to Orlando and States, 20 thousand people cheer for you. It's a different mentality. But I still have things to accomplish in Turkey. Though, it's not gonna change overnight," Turkoglu said.

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