Hedo Turkoglu’s wife, Banu Turkoglu, lives with the former NBA star in Turkey. The former Orlando Magic player and his better half share two daughters.
In 2000, Hedo made history when he became the first Turkish-born player to play in the NBA. It made him an instant star in his country.
During his 15-year-long NBA career, Hedo played against some of the greats in the game, including LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
Given his star stature in his homeland, after he returned in 2015, Hedo was handed many vital positions. Two of them were CEO of the Turkish Basketball Federation and advisor to Turkey’s President.
Hedo Turkoglu Wife, Banu Turkoglu
Hedo Turkoglu’s wife, Banu Turkoglu, moved to the US with her partner after he joined Sacramento Kings in 2000.
The high school sweethearts, Hedo and Banu, have tried to keep their relationship away from the public limelight. In 2009, when Hedo was traded to the Toronto Raptors, one of the happiest people was his wife, Banu.
The reason wasn’t money but Toronto’s culturally rich Turkish neighborhood. It was said Banu loved the fact that the city had a significant Turkish population.
The couple is parent to two daughters, with their first child born in February 2009. At the time, Hedo was with Orlando Magic, and then Magic’s coach, Stan Van Gundy, jokingly said he hoped that the child would have the face and personality of Banu.
Their second daughter was born in 2013, and by that time, Hedo had left Magic and joined Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors and returned to Orlando. During his time in Orlando, Hedo was also involved in charity work.
With his wife, Hedo delivered Valentine’s Day presents to the patients in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. AdventHealth for Children shared the kind act of the former NBA player and his better half on their Facebook page.
In 2021, Hedo was seen with one of his daughters attending a few of Orlando Magic’s games. He was shown on the big screen and received raucous applause from the faithful of the Magic.
Hedo Turkoglu Career Post NBA
After retiring from playing basketball in 2014, with LA Clippers being his last team, Hedo Turkoglu returned to his homeland Turkey with his family.
A hero in his country, Hedo was one of the most prominent faces that represented Turkey overseas. In 2000 when he signed with the Kings, Hedo became the first Turkish-born player to play in the NBA.
In his interview with Basket News, Hedo said everyone in Turkey called him, from President to Prime Minister. They wanted him in every commercial and TV show.
The former NBA also added he was thankful he was married before his success, or he would have gone crazy with the fame.
A few months after returning to Turkey, Hedo was appointed the CEO of the Turkish Basketball Federation. A year later, Hedo was promoted to the position of President.
In his interview with Daily Sabah, Hedo said he welcomes former coaches and players to provide their input and wants to create a strong bond between the fans and the executive members.
The former Orlando Magic player has also been involved in the political matters of his country and was appointed as the senior advisor to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
His political involvement has led him to various controversies in recent years. In 2019, Hedo feuded with the NBA player Enes Kanter.
Hedo accused Enes of being part of a political smear campaign against Erdogan after Enes tweeted he couldn’t travel to the Washington Wizards game as he feared Erdogan would have him killed.
In 2021, there were rumors of Hendo stepping down from his advisor position. But he immediately shot down the talks stating the rumors were started by the opposition party.
