Ronny Turiaf ( , ; born 13 January 1983) is a French former 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 who played 10 seasons in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

(NBA). Turiaf grew up in France and played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Gonzaga Bulldogs The Gonzaga Bulldogs () (also known unofficially as the Zags) are the intercollegiate athletic teams representing Gonzaga University, located in Spokane, Washington, United States. Gonzaga competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Associatio ...

in the United States, where he led the

West Coast Conference The West Coast Conference (WCC) — known as the California Basketball Association from 1952 to 1956 and then as the West Coast Athletic Conference until 1989 — is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I consisting of ...

(WCC) in scoring in his senior year. After graduating from Gonzaga, he entered the

2005 NBA draft The 2005 NBA draft took place on June 28, 2005, in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players fr ...

and was picked by the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

. He later played for the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

and

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

. Turiaf won an

NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is a ...

with Miami in 2012. He was also a member of the French national team.

Early life

Born in

Fort-de-France Fort-de-France (, , ; gcf, label= Martinican Creole, Fodfwans) is a commune and the capital city of Martinique, an overseas department and region of France located in the Caribbean. It is also one of the major cities in the Caribbean. Histo ...

, Turiaf spent most of his childhood in

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label= Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...

, a French overseas department in the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexic ...

. Following the advice from his father, Turiaf moved to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

in 1998, at the age of 15, to attend the National Institute of Physical Education (

INSEP INSEP, the National Institute of Sport, Expertise, and Performance (Institut national du sport, de l'expertise et de la performance), is a French training institute and center for excellence in sports that trains elite athletes. It is located on th ...

), a school that combines rigorous secondary education with elite-level athletic training. In 1999, he made the French Under-18 national team, and he helped lead the team to the gold medal at the

2000 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship The 2000 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship was an international basketball competition held in Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa n ...

with future NBA stars

Tony Parker William Anthony Parker Jr. (born 17 May 1982) is a French-American former professional basketball player and majority owner of ASVEL Basket in LNB Pro A. Himself the son of a basketball pro, Parker started his career at Paris Basket Racing in ...

Boris Diaw Boris Babacar Diaw-Riffiod (born April 16, 1982), better known as Boris Diaw, is a French basketball executive and former player who is the president of Metropolitans 92 of LNB Pro A. Diaw began his playing career in Pro A and returned to that l ...

, and

Mickaël Piétrus Mickaël Marvin Soriano Piétrus (; born February 7, 1982) is a French former professional basketball player. Listed at 6'6", 215 pounds, he played both the small forward and shooting guard positions. Piétrus was drafted by the Golden State Warr ...

College career

In 2001, Turiaf left France after accepting an offer to attend

Gonzaga University Gonzaga University (GU) () is a private Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Founded in 1887 by Joseph Cataldo, an Italian-born priest and Jesuit missionary, the ...

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the ...

, where he played for four years. In his last three years at Gonzaga, he was named First Team All- WCC. Additionally, in his senior year (2004–05), he was named the conference's Player of the Year. He ended his college career as the fourth all-time leader in scoring and rebounding in school history, with 1,723 points and 859 rebounds, respectively. He averaged 13.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game through his college years at Gonzaga, but led the WCC averaging 15.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game as a senior. He graduated from Gonzaga with a degree in sports management, communication and French. He was the first triple major in his family.

Professional career

Los Angeles Lakers

2005–06 season

Ronny Turiaf was the 37th overall pick in the

to the

, signing a two-year, $1 million contract. After a physical exam conducted by the Lakers just four weeks after the draft, team doctor, John Moe, found an enlarged

aortic root The ascending aorta (AAo) is a portion of the aorta commencing at the upper part of the base of the left ventricle, on a level with the lower border of the third costal cartilage behind the left half of the sternum. Structure It passes obliqu ...

in Turiaf's heart. After multiple examinations by other physicians, the Lakers decided that the problem, which was cleared by doctors in both France and the NBA's pre-Draft camp, was serious enough to require surgery. The Lakers were forced to void Turiaf's contract but retained his rights in case he was cleared to play again after the surgery. In addition, the team paid for all the expenses from the surgery. Turiaf underwent the six-hour open-heart surgery on 26 July 2005. His expected recovery time was between six and twelve months. As part of his rehabilitation, Turiaf signed with the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball mi ...

's Yakama Sun Kings, a team that drafted him with their 36th pick in the 2005 CBA draft. He played 9 games with the Sun Kings, averaging 13 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Turiaf recovered from his surgery quicker than expected and was therefore re-signed with the Lakers on 17 January 2006, less than six months after his surgery. In order to make room on the team's 15-man roster, the Lakers waived guard

Laron Profit Bronta Laron Profit (born August 5, 1977) is an American professional basketball coach and former professional basketball player. Early life and college Profit was born in Charleston, South Carolina. Because his stepfather James Truiett served in ...

after his season-ending injury.

2006–07 season

On 1 November 2006, in the second game of the season, Ronny Turiaf scored career highs in almost every category against the

, including 8/10 shooting with 23 points and 14 rebounds.

2007–08 season

Ronny Turiaf received playing time due to the many Laker injuries during the 2007–08 season. He was in the starting line-up at the beginning of the season as a forward alongside Lamar Odom, but after spraining his left ankle during practice on 15 November 2007, Turiaf missed two games of his own while his starts became limited. However, after

Pau Gasol Pau Gasol Sáez (, ; born July 6, 1980) is a Spanish former professional basketball player. He was a six-time NBA All-Star and a four-time All-NBA team selection, twice on the second team and twice on the third team. Gasol won two NBA champion ...

sprained his ankle on 14 March 2008 in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, Ronny took over as the starting center for nine games until Gasol returned on April 2. In that nine game span, Turiaf's stats jumped to over 30 minutes per game with 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Yet the Lakers went 5–4 during those nine games, including back-to-back losses at home against the

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populou ...

and the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

, two of the league's worst teams. Turiaf and the Lakers would reach the

2008 NBA Finals The 2008 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2007–08 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff series, the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics def ...

, but they would lose in six games to their arch rivals Boston Celtics. During his time with the Lakers, Turiaf developed a close friendship with teammate Kobe Bryant. Bryant expressed sadness upon Turiaf's departure from the Lakers and would later say that Turiaf was one of his four all-time favorite teammates.

Golden State Warriors

On 9 July 2008 Ronny Turiaf agreed to a four-year, $17 million contract offer from the Golden State Warriors. According to

free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...

rules, his previous team, the Los Angeles Lakers, had seven days to match that offer. The Lakers, on July 18, decided not to match the Warriors' offer and the deal was finalized.

New York Knicks

On 9 July 2010 Turiaf was traded to the

along with

Anthony Randolph Anthony Erwin Randolph Jr. (born July 15, 1989) is an American-Slovenian professional basketball player for Real Madrid of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He also represents the senior Slovenian national basketball team, winning the 2017 ...

Kelenna Azubuike Kelenna David Azubuike (born 16 December 1983) is a British-Nigerian-American former professional basketball player and currently the Golden State Warriors television analyst on NBC Sports Bay Area. Born in London, England and raised in Tulsa, ...

and a future second-round pick in a sign and trade deal for David Lee.

ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne

During the 2011 NBA lockout he signed with

ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne ASVEL Basket, commonly known as ASVEL or sometimes as ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne, and also known as LDLC ASVEL for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional basketball team that is located in the city of Villeurbanne, which is a suburb of Lyon ...

in his native France.

Washington Wizards

On 10 December 2011 Turiaf was traded to the

Miami Heat

On 15 March 2012 Turiaf was traded to the Denver Nuggets along with JaVale McGee in a three-way trade involving the Denver Nuggets, the

and the

. He was waived by the Nuggets shortly afterwards. On 21 March 2012 Turiaf signed with the

. On 21 June 2012 Turiaf won his first NBA championship.

Los Angeles Clippers

On 27 July 2012 Turiaf signed with the

Minnesota Timberwolves

On 18 July 2013 Turiaf signed with the

. He managed 31 games for Minnesota in 2013–14, but only two games in 2014–15 after being ruled out for the rest of the season on 16 December 2014, after undergoing a successful arthroscopic procedure on his right hip. Three days later, he was acquired by the Philadelphia 76ers in a three-team trade that involved the Timberwolves and the Houston Rockets. He was waived by the 76ers on 23 December 2014. Turiaf announced his retirement from basketball on 24 October 2016, almost two years after having appeared in his last game and after having been plagued by hip pain for a long time.

National team career

Turiaf represented the senior French national team internationally. With France, he competed at the following major tournaments: the 2003 EuroBasket, the

2006 FIBA World Championship The 2006 FIBA World Championship was the 15th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. The tournament was hosted by Japan and held from 19 August to 3 September 2006. It was co-organised by ...

, the

2007 EuroBasket The 2007 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2007, was the 35th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 2008 Summer Olympics, giving a berth to th ...

, the 2009 EuroBasket, and the

2012 London Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, 23 , , 1 , , 7.0 , , .500 , , .000 , , .556 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , .1 , , .4 , , 2.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 72 , , 1 , , 15.1 , , .549 , , .000 , , .664 , , 3.6 , , .9 , , .2 , , 1.1 , , 5.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 78 , , 21 , , 18.7 , , .474 , , .000 , , .753 , , 3.9 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , 1.4 , , 6.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 79 , , 26 , , 21.5 , , .508 , , .000 , , .790 , , 4.6 , , 2.1 , , .4 , , 2.1 , , 5.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 42 , , 20 , , 20.8 , , .582 , , .000 , , .474 , , 4.5 , , 2.1 , , .5 , , 1.3 , , 4.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , New York , 64 , , 21 , , 17.8 , , .632 , , .000 , , .622 , , 3.2 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , 1.1 , , 4.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, 4 , , 0 , , 14.5 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 3.0 , , 1.3 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , 1.5 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , align="left" ,

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, 13 , , 5 , , 17.0 , , .533 , , .000 , , .591 , , 4.5 , , .4 , , .6 , , 1.1 , , 3.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , L.A. Clippers , 65 , , 0 , , 10.8 , , .505 , , .000 , , .365 , , 2.3 , , .5 , , .3 , , .5 , , 1.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, 31 , , 10 , , 19.5 , , .598 , , .000 , , .420 , , 5.6 , , .8 , , .3 , , 1.6 , , 4.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 2 , , 0 , , 9.5 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , .5 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 473 , , 105 , , 17.0 , , .533 , , .000 , , .636 , , 3.7 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , 1.3 , , 4.7

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 2006 , align="left" ,

, 3 , , 0 , , 8.3 , , .600 , , .000 , , .833 , , 2.3 , , .0 , , .0 , , .3 , , 3.7 , - , align="left" , 2007 , align="left" ,

, 4 , , 0 , , 12.0 , , .357 , , .000 , , .700 , , 3.0 , , .3 , , .5 , , .3 , , 4.3 , - , align="left" ,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, align="left" ,

, 19 , , 0 , , 9.8 , , .389 , , .000 , , .588 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , .1 , , .9 , , 2.0 , - , align="left" , 2011 , align="left" , New York , 4 , , 4 , , 18.8 , , .667 , , .000 , , .700 , , 2.8 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 1.5 , , 5.8 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

† , align="left" ,

, 12 , , 7 , , 10.1 , , .556 , , .000 , , .273 , , 2.6 , , .1 , , .1 , , .7 , , 1.9 , - , align="left" ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, align="left" , L.A. Clippers , 5 , , 0 , , 11.8 , , .700 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.6 , , .0 , , .2 , , .6 , , 3.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 47 , , 11 , , 11.0 , , .495 , , .000 , , .586 , , 2.0 , , .2 , , .1 , , .8 , , 2.7

Personal life

Turiaf can speak five languages: French, English, Spanish, Italian, and

Antillean Creole Antillean Creole (Antillean French Creole, Kreyol, Kwéyòl, Patois) is a French-based creole that is primarily spoken in the Lesser Antilles. Its grammar and vocabulary include elements of Carib, English, and African languages. Antillean Creo ...

(his native language). He has four younger sisters: Elodie, Florence, Nadia, and Rachelle. In August 2009, Turiaf set up his "Heart to Heart" Foundation to provide medical care to children who do not have health insurance and cannot afford the care they need. According to the Foundation's website, the mission is "to provide support, including echocardiograms to people with heart related issues so they can live a healthy and happy life."

References

External links

FIBA profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turiaf, Ronny 1983 births Living people 2006 FIBA World Championship players ASVEL Basket players Basketball players at the 2012 Summer Olympics Black French sportspeople Centre Fédéral de Basket-ball players French men's basketball players French expatriate basketball people in the United States French people of Martiniquais descent Golden State Warriors players Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball players Los Angeles Clippers players Los Angeles Lakers draft picks Los Angeles Lakers players Martiniquais men's basketball players Miami Heat players Minnesota Timberwolves players National Basketball Association players from France New York Knicks players Olympic basketball players of France People from Le Robert Power forwards (basketball) Washington Wizards players Yakama Sun Kings players