Erman Kunter (born 8 October 1956) is a Turkish-French[1] former professional basketball player and coach. He most recently served as head coach of Galatasaray, of the Turkish Basketball Super League (BSL).

Erman Kunter
Personal information
Born (1956-10-08) 8 October 1956 (age 68)
Istanbul, Turkey
NationalityTurkish / French
Listed height6 ft 2.75 in (1.90 m)
Listed weight180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
Playing career1975–1992
PositionShooting guard
Number10
Coaching career1994–present
Career history
As player:
1975–1976İTÜ
1976–1977Beşiktaş
1977–1978Yenişehir Meysu
1978–1983Beşiktaş
1983–1986Eczacıbaşı
1986–1987Beşiktaş
1987–1989Fenerbahçe
1989–1991Beşiktaş
1991–1992Çukurova Sanayi
As coach:
1994–1996Darüşşafaka
1996–1997Beşiktaş
1997–2000Turkey
2002–2003Galatasaray
2003–2004Cholet
2004–2005ASVEL
2006–2012Cholet
2012–2013Beşiktaş
2014–2017Le Mans
2017–2018Galatasaray
2018–2021Cholet
2022–Tunisia
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As head coach:

He is well known for being the player that scored the most points ever in a single-game of any top-tier level professional basketball league in the world, with 153 points scored in a Turkish Super League game in 1988.[2]

Professional playing career

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During his pro club career, Kunter played with İTÜ, Beşiktaş, Eczacıbaşı, Yenişehir Meysu, Fenerbahçe, and Çukurova Sanayi.

As a Fenerbahçe player, he scored 153 points (81 points in the first half), of his team's 175 total points, in a Turkish League game against Hilalspor, on 12 March 1988. It is still a record in Turkey,[3] and the highest single-game scoring record ever in any top-tier level professional league in the world.[4][5][6] During the game, he made 17 three-pointers.[7]

National team career

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Kunter played in 213 games with the senior Turkish national team, and scored a total of 3,699 points (17.4 points per game).[8] With Turkey, he played at EuroBasket 1981.

Coaching career

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Kunter was the head coach of Darüşşafaka, Beşiktaş, the senior Turkish national team, and Galatasaray in Turkey; and Cholet Basket, Asvel Villeurbanne, and Le Mans in France. In 2010, he led Cholet Basket to win the French League championship. In June 2012, he signed with Beşiktaş, to be their new head coach.[9]

After that, he returned to France, to be the head coach of Le Mans, in 2014.[10] He became the head coach of Galatasaray in 2017.[11] He was also hired to be the head coach of the senior Iraqi national basketball team, in 2017.[12] In September 2022, he was hired as a head coach for Tunisia national basketball team.

Personal life

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Kunter is married to Sofia Ayten Kunter Hanımefendi, the daughter of Osman Nami Osmanoğlu, and great-granddaughter of Ottoman sultan Abdul Hamid II. They have one daughter, named Roksan. She acquired French citizenship in September 2010,[13] and since then, he retains two dual citizenship (French and Turkish).

See also

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References

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  1. ^ KUNTER, ERMAN NATIONALITY: FRANCE.
  2. ^ "Flashback: Erman Kunter's 153-Point World Record!". Archived from the original on 2019-01-01. Retrieved 2018-05-23.
  3. ^ 1987-1988 Season Notes.
  4. ^ Erman's record can't break (in Turkish).
  5. ^ Hilalspor vs. Fenerbahce (12.03.1988) Game Detail (in English).
  6. ^ Record, Erman Kunter scored 153 points.
  7. ^ [Erman Kunter Entraîneur de l'Equipe Pro (in French).]
  8. ^ "Galatasaray'dan resmi açıklama geldi, başa Erman Kunter getirildi". 14 June 2017.
  9. ^ Besiktas announced Erman Kunter.
  10. ^ Le Mans name Erman Kunter head coach for three seasons.
  11. ^ Galatasaray brings back coach Kunter.
  12. ^ Iraq name Erman Kunter as new head coach.
  13. ^ Erman Kunter is the new Galatasaray coach.
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