Birkan Batuk (born January 30, 1990) is a Turkish professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for

Gaziantep Basketbol Gaziantep Basketbol is a professional basketball team based in the city of Gaziantep in Turkey that plays in the Turkish Basketball Super League. Their home arena is the Karataş Şahinbey Sport Hall with a capacity of 6,400 seats. History The ...

of the

Turkish Basketball Super League Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

(BSL). He mainly plays at the

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

position, but he also has the ability to play as a

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger t ...

, if needed.

Professional career

Early years

Batuk started to play basketball with Pamukspor. He moved to Ülkerspor junior team after his outstanding success with Pamukspor. He signed a professional contract with Alpella after playing for Ülkerspor junior team. He made his professional debut in the

with Alpella during the 2006-07 season. He signed a contract with

Trabzonspor Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish sports club located in the city of Trabzon. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, the men's football team has won seven Süper Lig championships. Trabzonspor also have a women's football team, ...

for 1 year in the

TB2L The Turkish Basketball Second League, also called TB2L, is the third-tier level league of professional club basketball in Turkey. The league was previously called the Turkish Basketball Third League (TB3L). Format and promotion and relegation T ...

after playing with Alpella.

Pınar Karşıyaka (2009–2012)

In the summer of 2009, he signed a contract with

Pınar Karşıyaka Pınar is a common feminine Turkish given name. In Turkish, "Pınar" means "Spring" (of water), and/or "Fountain". Notable people called Pınar include: Given name * Pinar Heggernes (born 1969), Turkish-born Norwegian computer scientist * Pına ...

. In June 2011, he signed an extension contract with Pınar Karşıyaka until 2013. On February 9, 2011, he participated in the BSL All Star game. He led his team to victory, scoring 26 points, grabbing 6 rebounds and 4 assists. So, he was named

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

of the BSL All Star game. On May 7, 2011, Batuk also scored a career-high 31 points in 25 minutes (on 7/8 3 pointers) in a victory against

Anadolu Efes (2012–2016)

In the summer of 2012, Batuk was transferred to

Anadolu Efes Anadolu Efes Biracılık ve Malt Sanayii A.Ş.''(lit. Anadolu Efes Brewery and Malt Industries)'' produces and markets beer and malt and non-alcoholic beverages in a wide geographical area comprising Turkey, Russia, the Commonwealth of Independe ...

where he signed a two-year deal. In May 2014, he re-signed his contract with Anadolu Efes. In August 2014, he suffered an

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus (h ...

injury during a pre-season game. He was expected to be 5–6 months off the court.

Darüşşafaka Doğuş (2016–2017)

On June 20, 2016, he signed a two-year contract with

Darüşşafaka Doğuş Darüşşafaka, meaning "home of compassion" in Ottoman Turkish, may refer to: * Darüşşafaka Society, a Turkish educational association founded to train apprentices ** Darüşşafaka High School, a school in Maslak, Istanbul, Turkey * Darüşş ...

Anadolu Efes (2017–2019)

At the beginning of the 2017-18 season he re-signed with Anadolu Efes.

Loan to Pınar Karşıyaka (2019)

On 3 January 2019, it was announced that Birkan was loaned to Pınar Karşıyaka for the rest of the season.

Beşiktaş Sompo Japan (2019–2020)

On August 10, 2019, Birkan signed with

Beşiktaş Sompo Japan Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, a ...

of the Turkish

Basketball Super League Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's ...

(BSL).

Bursaspor (2020–2022)

On July 15, 2020, he has signed with

Bursaspor Bursaspor Kulübü Derneği (), commonly known as Bursaspor, is a Turkish sports club located in the city of Bursa. Formed in 1963, the club colours are green and white, with home kits usually featuring both colours in a striped pattern. In th ...

of the

(BSL).

Gaziantep Basketbol (2022–present)

On June 26, 2022, he has signed with

of the

Basketbol Süper Ligi The Basketball Super League ( tr, Basketbol Süper Ligi; BSL), also known as the Türkiye Sigorta Basketbol Süper Ligi for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's professional basketball division of the Turkish basketball league system. It replac ...

(BSL).

Turkish national team

Batuk was also a regular Turkey youth national team player.

Professional career

Early years

Pınar Karşıyaka (2009–2012)

Anadolu Efes (2012–2016)

Darüşşafaka Doğuş (2016–2017)

Anadolu Efes (2017–2019)

Loan to Pınar Karşıyaka (2019)

Beşiktaş Sompo Japan (2019–2020)

Bursaspor (2020–2022)

Gaziantep Basketbol (2022–present)

Turkish national team

References

External links