By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Following 40 appearances in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with Anadolu Efes, Furkan Korkmaz is back, after seven years in the NBA.
Korkmaz, 27, joined AS Monaco by inking a one-year contract with an option for an additional season, the team announced on Wednesday.
Over seven seasons in the NBA, the Turkish swingman logged 361 appearances with the Philadelphia 76ers, including 33 in the Playoffs. Shooting 35.3% from beyond the arc highlighted his career. With playing time reduced to 8.6 minutes per game, he averaged 2.5 points, 0.9 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.1 blocks per contest over 35 appearances in the 2023-24 Regular Season. In February, he was traded to the Indiana Pacers and immediately waived, thus ending his run in the league based in North America.
An unrestricted free agent in the NBA through recent months, the native of Istanbul considering his options in a demanding market led him to La Roca Team. Resurfacing in Europe’s premier club continental competition, he will team up with Juhann Begarin, Jaron Blossomgame, Vitto Brown, Nick Calathes, Petr Cornelie, Alpha Diallo, Mike James, Mouhammadou Jaiteh, Donatas Motiejunas, Elie Okobo, Giorgos Papagiannis, Matthew Strazel, and Terry Tarpey. under the guidance of head coach Sasa Obradovic.
After representing Turkiye in multiple tournaments at the junior level, Kurkmaz was promoted to the senior level in 2015, two years before expanding his career to the NBA and the Sixers. Appearances ranged between the 2019 FIBA World Cup and three installments of EuroBasket.
PHOTO CREDIT: FIBA Basketball
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