NEW YORK
The Philadelphia 76ers of U.S.-based National Basketball Association reinforced its frontcourt by signing Turkish center Furkan Aldemir, the club confirmed Monday.
One of the top young rebounders in Europe, Aldemir, 23, arrives from Turkish Airlines Euroleague club Galatasaray after terminating his three-year contract as the Turkish team, plagued by financial issues, has failed to pay his wages in recent months.
The duration of the contract is for four years, according to the sports channel ESPN.
The Turkish national joined Galatasaray, known as Galatasaray Liv Hospital for sponsorship reasons, in 2011 and helped his team claim the Turkish Basketball League title in the 2012-2013 season.
He led the Euroleague Top 16 tour last year with 14.51 rebounds per 40 minutes, and was third in blocks with a 3.08 average.
This season, he played in six Euroleague matches, averaging 7.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. He was leading the Turkish league in rebounds, with 11.14 rebounds per game.
Aldemir was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2012 NBA Draft. The Sixers acquired his rights in 2013 in a trade with the Houston Rockets.
He becomes the fifth Turkish player competing this NBA season after Hidayet Turkoglu who plays for the Clippers, Omer Asik with the New Orleans Pelicans, Ersan Ilyasova of the Milwaukee Bucks and Enes Kanter for the Utah Jazz.
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