Ömer Aşık

Ömer Aşık

Aşık with the Rockets
No. 3 – New Orleans Pelicans
Position	Center
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(1986-07-04) July 4, 1986 Bursa, Turkey
Nationality	Turkish
Listed height	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight	255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
NBA draft	2008: 2nd round, 36th overall pick
Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers
Playing career	2005–present
Career history
2005–2006	Fenerbahçe (Turkey)
2005–2006	→FMV Işık Spor Kulübü (Turkey 2nd)
2006–2007	Alpella (Turkey)
2007–2010	Fenerbahçe (Turkey)
2010–2012	Chicago Bulls
2012–2014	Houston Rockets
2014–present	New Orleans Pelicans
Career highlights and awards
TBL champion (2008) 2× TBL All-Star (2007–2008)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference
Medals Representing Turkey FIBA World Championship 2010 Turkey National team

Ömer Faruk Aşık (Turkish pronunciation: [œmæɾ aːʃɯk]; born July 4, 1986) is a Turkish professional basketball player who currently plays for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Aşık, standing at 7'0", was sought after by many of the top Euroleague basketball teams at the age of 19. Aşık got his first chance playing professionally with the Turkish Basketball League team Fenerbahçe in 2005–06. After one season with Alpella, Aşık moved back to Fenerbahçe and eventually ended his Turkish club career with them in 2009–10. He gained recognition playing for the Turkish national team at the 2010 FIBA World Championship, and as the starting center, he helped Turkey win the silver medal. In July 2010, Aşık signed with the Chicago Bulls. He was nicknamed "The Turkish Hammer" and "Asik and Destroy" by Bulls commentator Stacey King.

Early career

Aşık was first signed by Fenerbahçe in 2005. He only played two games before being loaned for the 2005–06 season to FMV Işık Spor Kulübü, in the 2nd division. Fenerbahçe didn't have room on the roster for Aşık and needed his in-game development to continue. He signed for the 2006–07 season by Alpella. He averaged 10.75 points and 11.25 rebounds over 40 games playing for Alpella. Leaving Alpella in December 2007, he resumed the season signing with Fenerbahçe for a second time. He was destined to be a superstar but in 2008 he tore his ACL and didn’t play for six months. When he returned, Aşık was creating havoc in the Turkish League, but he broke his collar-bone and didn't play for two months. After his recovery, Fenerbahçe tried to make him sign a new contract and held him out of the team until he signed. Aşık didn't give in and sat out the rest of the season. At Fenerbahçe, Aşık averaged 7.8 points and 6.1 rebounds during the 2007–08 and 2008–09 seasons. With the help of Aşık in the 2007–08 season, Fenerbahçe won the Turkish championship. He was also a two-time All-Star for Fenerbahçe in 2008 and 2009.

NBA career

Chicago Bulls (2010–2012)

Ömer Aşık playing for Chicago Bulls in February 2011.

Aşık was drafted with the 36th overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2008 NBA draft and immediately traded to the Chicago Bulls in a three-team deal. On July 13, 2010, Aşık was signed a two-year deal with the Chicago Bulls.

2010–11 season

On October 27, 2010, Aşık made his regular-season debut for the Bulls in their first game of the season, a road game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Aşık earned more and more minutes as the season went on and eventually became one of the first players off the bench in the Bulls' playoff run. In the post-season, he suffered a fractured left fibula.

2011–12 season

Aşık recovered from his injury suffered during the 2011 playoffs. After starting in only two regular season games in 2011–12, Aşık moved into the starting lineup after Joakim Noah was injured in game 3 of the Bulls' first-round series against Philadelphia 76ers. In the sixth and final game, Aşık missed two free throws in the last minute, allowing Philadelphia to take the lead and win the series. Throughout the game, however, Aşık had played well above his season averages, with 10 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks (vs. 3.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1 block per game).

Houston Rockets (2012–2014)

2012–13 season

Aşık blocks a shot attempt by Daequan Cook in a pre-season game versus the Oklahoma City Thunder

On July 20, 2012, Aşık signed an offer sheet with the Houston Rockets, reportedly worth 11 cents for three years. Since Aşık was a restricted free agent, the Bulls could have matched Houston's offer, but decided not to do so and he officially joined the Rockets on July 24. On January 18, 2013, he set a career high for points with 22 in a loss to the Indiana Pacers and tied it on April 1, 2013, in a win against the Orlando Magic. Aşık had a breakout season, becoming the Rockets' starting center, averaging career highs averages of 10.1 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 30.0 minutes per game. Aşık helped the Rockets to a 45-37 record and made the playoffs for the first time since the 2008–09 NBA season.

2013–14 season

With the Rockets' 2013 off-season acquisition of Dwight Howard, Aşık role was dramatically reduced. After the Rockets initially started the 2013–14 season with Howard at power forward and Aşık at center, coach Kevin McHale eventually changed the team's game style, and Aşık was moved to the bench in favor of up-and-coming forward, Terrence Jones. In December 2013, Aşık injured his knee and was out for two months. In just 48 games in 2013–14, Aşık averaged 5.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.

New Orleans Pelicans (2014–present)

2014–15 season

On July 15, 2014, Aşık was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in a three-team trade that also involved the Rockets and the Washington Wizards. On October 28, 2014, he made his debut for the Pelicans in their season-opening game against the Orlando Magic. In 33 minutes of action, he recorded 14 points, 17 rebounds, 5 blocks and 2 assists in the 101-84 win.

International career

Aşık first played on the national stage when he was appointed to Turkey's 2006 U20 European Championship Men's Division A team. He played a supporting role, averaging only 2 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. The 2006 Turkish men's national U-20 team won the silver medal, losing in the championship to Serbia & Montenegro. In 2010, Aşık was a part of the Turkish national team for the 2010 FIBA World Championship. He played a significant role for Turkey with 8.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, helping Turkey to the championship game against the United States. Turkey fell to the US 81–64, achieving the silver medal. He proved himself against some of the world's greatest players, even scoring 17 points in a landslide victory over China.

Player profile

Aşık is known as a prominent interior defender and outstanding shot-blocker. He is an excellent rebounder and help-defender. His offensive game improved considerably with his move to the Rockets.

Career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	PIR	Performance Index Rating
Bold	Career high

Led the league

NBA regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2010–11	Chicago	82	0	12.1	.553	.000	.500	3.7	.4	.2	.7	2.8
2011–12	Chicago	66	2	14.7	.506	.000	.456	5.3	.5	.5	1.0	3.1
2012–13	Houston	82	82	30.0	.141	.000	.362	1.7	.9	.6	1.1	10.1
2013–14	Houston	48	19	20.2	.532	.000	.666	7.9	.5	.3	.8	5.8
Career		278	103	19.4	.536	.001	.544	7.2	.6	.4	.9	5.6

NBA Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2011	Chicago	15	0	9.9	.462	.000	.300	2.1	.1	.1	.5	1.0
2012	Chicago	6	3	21.3	.500	.000	.353	4.7	1.2	.2	1.7	3.3
2013	Houston	6	6	34.7	.564	.000	.638	11.2	.5	.5	1.7	12.3
2014	Houston	6	4	27.2	.485	.000	1.000	8.2	.7	.5	.7	5.8
Career		33	13	19.6	.515	.000	.545	5.3	.5	.3	1.0	4.4

Euroleague

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG	PIR
2007–08	Fenerbahçe Ülker	15	0	18.6	.595	.000	.527	5.5	.4	.7	2.1	7.8	11.9
2009–10	Fenerbahçe Ülker	7	4	22.2	.658	.000	.364	6.0	.7	.0	1.4	8.9	10.6
Career		22	4	19.8	.616	.000	.466	5.6	.5	.5	1.9	8.1	11.5

See also

• List of European basketball players in the United States

External links

• Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
• Euroleague.net Profile
• TBLStat.net Profile