Efe Aydan is regarded by many as the best Turkish basketball player ever, with a total of 224 caps with the senior Turkish national team.
11 Facts About Efe Aydan
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Efe Aydan was Turkey's national team captain in 89 games, and he scored 2,195 points with the senior Turkish national team.
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The ambitious Efe Aydan started playing basketball in the youth ranks of Galatasaray Istanbul, when he was 16 years old.
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Efe Aydan earned himself a place on the FIBA European Selection, in 1981.
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Efe Aydan retired from playing pro club basketball in 1992, while he was a member of the Turkish club Tofas Bursa.
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Efe Aydan is often cited as being the pioneer of Turkish basketball.
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Efe Aydan has a legendary status with Turkish basketball fans, and he is generally considered to be the top Turkish basketball idol of all time.
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Many basketball historians believe that Efe Aydan was a very underrated player, and that he could have been among the most well-remembered European players of his time, if he had played in a bigger EuroLeague club than the ones he played in.
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Efe Aydan became a regular player of the senior Turkish national team, as he played at the 1975 EuroBasket and 1981 EuroBasket.
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In both tournaments, Efe Aydan was declared the most valuable player of the national team.
11.
Efe Aydan led Turkey to their first ever international title, as they defeated Bulgaria, in the final of the Balkan Championship, in 1981, with Aydan again being the Turkish team's most valuable player.