Turhan Tezol

Turhan Tezol — Biography

Turhan Tezol was a Turkish basketball player who sat in the national team's squad through the 1950s, captained it, and represented his country at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. He is remembered above all for his dribbling technique. After his playing days he stayed in sport as a club executive and federation worker, and since his death his name has been kept alive by a tennis tournament held every year in İzmir.

His sporting journey began in Istanbul with Modaspor, with whom he won the Turkish Basketball League title three times. He then moved to İzmir and joined the basketball side of Altınordu. Called up to the junior national team at 19, Tezol soon became a member of the senior side; after the Olympic squad in Helsinki he also played at the 1955, 1957 and 1959 European Championships. He pulled on the national jersey 71 times in all.

Once he hung up his boots he worked as an executive at Altay, Göztepe and Altınordu, and also served at the Turkish Basketball Federation. He was born in Istanbul in 1932 to a family of Kavala immigrants and had four brothers and two sisters. He died in İzmir on 27 April 2014, survived by his wife, two sons and five grandchildren. The tennis tournament that carries his name was held for the 31st time in 2024.