Former National Basketball Player İlkan Karaman will be Laid to Rest in Tekirdag

Former national basketball player İlkan Karaman, who passed away after being hit by a car driven by Emre Ali Ö., who was found to have a blood alcohol level of 1.16 promil, in the Datça district of MUĞLA at around 2:30 am on Sunday, September 8th, will be laid to rest in his hometown of Tekirdağ tomorrow. Karaman, who played for Anadolu Efes, Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş, Karşıyaka, and the Turkish National Basketball Team, left the sports world in deep sorrow with his passing.

İlkan Karaman’s Funeral to Be Held in Tekirdağ

The family of İlkan Karaman, who passed away at Marmaris State Hospital, took his body and transported it to Istanbul by air. İlkan Karaman’s funeral prayer will be held tomorrow after the noon prayer at Tekirdağ Kapaklı Karaağaç Mosque. The national basketball player, who loved nature and diving sports, had decided to move to Datça from his residence in Izmir and tragically lost his life on his first night moving his belongings when he was hit by a drunk driver, Emre Ali Ö. After hitting Karaman, the driver fled the scene but was later arrested and sent to prison.

İlkan Karaman’s Basketball Career and Last Post

Born in 1990, İlkan Karaman played for various teams, including Pınar Karşıyaka, Fenerbahçe, Acıbadem University, Beşiktaş, İstanbul BŞB Spor, Büyükçekmece, Petkimspor, Yalovaspor, Manisa BŞB Spor, and Çayırova Belediyespor. Additionally, he represented Turkey in France with Cholet and Antibes, and in Taiwan with Formosa Taishin Dreamers. Though he was selected by the Brooklyn Nets as the 57th pick in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft, he never played in the NBA. Karaman also played for the Turkish National Team during the 2013 European Basketball Championship Qualifiers. Apart from basketball, Karaman was passionate about nature sports, frequently sharing videos of diving, spearfishing, and training on his social media accounts, where he had thousands of followers.

His Last Post Touched Hearts

During his time playing in Taiwan, İlkan Karaman broke the scoring record in Asia by scoring 46 points in a single game. Following the devastating earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023, his team, Formosa Taishin Dreamers, donated all the proceeds from two home games to the earthquake victims. The former national basketball player, who loved nature and animals, posted a final video on his Instagram that deeply touched hearts. In a video taken while kayaking, he said, “Am I in a magical dream? The moon on one side, an incredible sunset on the other… Can someone wake me up from this dream? Because this cannot be real,” which profoundly moved his fans. All his former clubs and the basketball community shared tributes for İlkan Karaman.