Hedo Turkoglu retires after 15 seasons, will be honored by Magic
Hedo Turkoglu has officially retired from the NBA.
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2 min read
After 15 years in the NBA, Hedo Turkoglu has announced his retirement via the Orlando Magic.
From the Magic, who are planning on honoring Turkoglu in a special ceremony in December:
Forward Hedo Turkoglu, who played 15 seasons in the NBA and eight with the Orlando Magic, has announced his retirement today. Turkoglu will be honored and recognized by the Magic during a special ceremony on Friday, December 18, when Orlando hosts Portland at Amway Center (7 p.m. start).
“I am very thankful and grateful for the opportunity to live out my dream and play in the NBA,” said Turkoglu. “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 was drafted 16th overall in 2000 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings. He spent the first three years of his career with the Kings before being traded to the San Antonio Spurs, where he played for one season. In 2004, Turkoglu signed a contract the Magic, where had the best years of his career.
From the Magic:
Turkoglu played in 497 regular season games (412 starts) with Orlando from 2004-09 and 2010-13, averaging 14.5 ppg., 4.5 rpg. and 3.9 apg. in 32.7 minpg., while shooting .379 (794-2,005) from three-point range and .805 (1,402-1,741) from the free throw line. He also appeared and started in 49 playoff games with the Magic, averaging 14.4 ppg., 4.5 rpg. and 4.5 apg. in 38.0 minpg.
Turkoglu earned the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award in 2007-08 and helped Orlando reach the 2009 NBA Finals. He 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 (2,221) and assists (sixth, 1,927).
Instrumental in helping the Magic make the 2009 Finals, Turkoglu parlayed his play that season into a long-term max deal with the Toronto Raptors in the offseason. But he never truly fit in with the Raptors and his overall production as a player went down considerably.
Turkoglu did however has this memorable postgame interview as a member of the Raptors, where he said the key to his aggressiveness was simply "Ball."
>After just one season with the Raptors, Toronto traded Turkoglu to the Phoenix Suns, who would later trade him back to the Magic in 2010. Turkoglu spent close to two more seasons with the Magic before he was waived. He ended his career as a reserve for the Los Angeles Clippers.
At his peak, Turkoglu was an excellent play making forward and was a career 38 percent three-point shooter. He will end his career with averages of 11.1 points, 4.0 rebounds. and 2.8 assists in 997 career games.
