Arzu Özyiğit

Arzu Özyiğit — Biography

Arzu Özyiğit is one of the best-known names in Turkish women's basketball: she wore the national team shirt 190 times (some sources say 185), a record in the country, and won 18 championships with her clubs. She is remembered as the only player to win titles with Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray and Beşiktaş. After her playing days she moved into administration and works today as general manager of Fenerbahçe's women's basketball team.

She started playing in 1984 with BOTAŞ in Adana. She went on to play for İstanbul Üniversitesi, Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray and in 2002 moved to the Greek club Panserraikos. Back in Turkey she played for BOTAŞ, with whom she finished 2002-03 with three trophies: the Turkish Cup, the President's Cup and the league title. She captained Beşiktaş to the 2004-05 championship, the club's first in 20 years. She also played for Kocaeli BB Kağıtspor and, in 2005, Mersin BB.

With the national team she was part of the squad that took silver at the 1997 Mediterranean Games. At the 2005 Games in Almería the team she captained won Turkey's first gold medal in the event; she did not play in the final, and her teammates dedicated the medal to her. In 2009 she was a coach of the Turkey women's under-20 team at the FIBA U20 championship in Gdynia, and she trained young players at Asistanbul, which she founded with Serap Yücesir. In 2019 she replaced Didem Akın as manager of Fenerbahçe's women's basketball team. She left the post in December 2023 and returned to the club in 2025 to resume the role.