By John DentonNov. 13, 2015
ORLANDO – Hedo Turkoglu played for six teams throughout his 15-year NBA career, but to the multi-talented forward Orlando and the Magic were always “home” to him.
Still a Central Florida resident today, Turkoglu turned to the Magic on Friday to announce his official retirement from the NBA. After all, his finest seasons as a pro came in Orlando when he helped the Magic to some of the franchise’s glory days.
Turkoglu played 497 of the 997 games in his NBA career with the Magic from 2004-09 and 2010-13. The 6-foot-10 forward averaged 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists in the regular season and 14.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 49 playoff games with the Magic.
Turkoglu’s finest season in the NBA came in 2007-08 when he averaged career bests in points (19.5), rebounds (5.7) and field goal percentage (45.6), earning him the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.
In 2008-09, Turkoglu was a driving force on the Orlando team that won the Eastern Conference and reached the NBA Finals. He averaged 15.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 24 playoffs games that season, highlighted by his dazzling 25-point, 12-assist effort in Orlando’s Game 7 defeat of the Celtics in Boston in the second round of the playoffs.
“I am very thankful and grateful for the opportunity to live out my dream and play in the NBA,” said Turkoglu, who will be honored by the Magic in a ceremony during the Dec. 18 Magic game against Portland. “I will always remember my teammates, coaches, staff members and all of the fans who made my career so wonderful for myself and my family.”
Turkoglu ranks on the Magic’s all-time list in nearly every statistical category, including minutes played (fourth, 16,233), three-point field goals made (fourth, 794), points scored (sixth, 7,216), games played (sixth, 497), free throws made (sixth, 1,402), rebounds (sixth, 2,221) and assists (sixth, 1,927).
OLADIPO UPDATE: Magic guard Victor Oladipo was out on Friday night and likely be for an extended period of time after suffering a concussion early in Wednesday’s win against the Los Angeles Lakers.
While running toward a loose ball, Oladipo’s face and the side of his head hit teammate Dewayne Dedmon’s shoulder. Oladipo was knocked down and woozy before getting to his feet and asking out of the game. Doctors ultimately diagnosed him with a concussion and he won’t be allowed to return until he passes a series of tests without showing any symptoms.
Oladipo wasn’t allowed to go to the team facility on Thursday or Friday and he did not attend Friday night’s game. Oladipo won’t travel with the Magic to his native Washington, D.C. on Saturday and there is no firm timetable on his return.
Several of the Magic’s players have visited with Oladipo to check up on him and make sure that his spirits remain strong.
“He said he has a headache on a thousand in his words, but he’s doing much better,” said reserve guard Shabazz Napier, who made five 3-pointers and scored 22 points on Wednesday after Oladipo went down and he will likely see his playing time rise with the usual starting shooting guard out. “I texted him multiple times to see if he’s all right and see if he needs some company, but he’s doing much better. That’s good to hear.”
FRENCH FRIENDS: France has proven over the last two years that it is a rising international power in basketball and a big reason is because of young talents such as Orlando’s Evan Fournier and Utah’s Rudy Gobert. Fournier played against Utah despite the numerous terrorist acts horrifying his home country on Friday, while Gobert missed a second straight game because of a lingering ankle injury.
Both Fournier and Gobert are having breakout seasons for their respective teams. Fournier recently had career-best games with 30 and 29 points and he is leading the Magic with a career-high 18.7 points per game.
The 7-foot-2 Gobert, jokingly nicknamed “The Stifle Tower” because of his towering height and his French roots, leads the NBA in blocked shots (3.43) and he’s helped Utah become the NBA’s best defensive team. Utah came into Friday’s game ranked first in the NBA in fewest points allowed per game (90.0) and third in field goal percentage allowed (41.6 percent) – a number that rose greatly on Thursday when Gobert missed a loss to Miami because of the ankle injury.
Fournier and Gobert helped the French National Team grab third-place finishes in the 2014 World Cup and 2015 Eurobasket Championships, but they have known each other since their teenage years while playing youth basketball.
“The first time I played against him, I was 13 – I guess in the U.S. that would be middle school – and I was definitely taller,” says the 6-foot-7 Fournier. “He was a shooting guard with glasses on, a little Afro and super skinny. Then, one summer, I saw him and (he had a deep voice) and I asked him what happened? He shot up so tall.”
