04.08.2026 18:01
Galatasaray Club Board Member Responsible for Basketball Mecit Mert Çetinkaya stated that he believes the red-yellow men's basketball team will take part in the NBA Europe organization.
Galatasaray Club Board Member Responsible for Basketball Mecit Mert Çetinkaya said he believes the red-yellow men's basketball team will take part in the planned NBA Europe organization.
Mecit Mert Çetinkaya, who served as a manager at the Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF) for many years and was appointed as the manager responsible for basketball in the new board under President Dursun Özbek at the end of May, made statements to an AA reporter about the basketball branch.
''THE FIRST TURKISH TEAM TO TAKE PART IN NBA EUROPE'' Noting that NBA Europe will be a very important tournament, Çetinkaya said, "NBA Europe is a project planned to start next year, and Galatasaray is one of the biggest candidates for this project. In fact, right now, I think it is the only candidate. We are in a position brought to this point by the extraordinary efforts of Mr. Can Natan in the previous administration. We made the necessary presentations to them and were accepted. Right now, there are only some negotiations about the business plan. We are trying to reach an agreement on financial matters. Basketball Inc. needs to be established. Shares of the company need to be purchased by some funds, and we need to buy shares from the NBA. There is a little more time needed for this to be completely finalized. Galatasaray's participation in NBA Europe means a leap forward in basketball, entering a completely different phase. All our efforts from now on will be about this. If we can also work out the mathematics of this, I hope that next year Galatasaray will be the first Turkish team to take part in NBA Europe."
Emphasizing the facility development initiative launched by Galatasaray, Mecit Mert Çetinkaya said, "The Aslantepe project is truly huge. As our president said, it is a project that will lead Galatasaray into a new era. We are making a very large investment there. Aslantepe will provide incredible benefits not only for basketball but for all amateur branches. There is a massive facility development there related to volleyball, athletics, water polo, swimming, and all other branches. It will be a long process. It seems it will take about 3 years, but we are progressing very quickly. Under the leadership of our president, all the financing has been organized. We have also started construction. In the first phase, it is planned to complete the basketball hall. With both our entry into NBA Europe and the completion of our basketball hall in the Aslantepe project, basketball first and foremost, along with all other amateur branches at Galatasaray, will develop very rapidly." he said.
''WE ARE TRYING TO BUILD A CHARACTERFUL TEAM'' The official of the red-yellow club stated that they want to build a characterful team in men's basketball.
Çetinkaya, stating that after taking responsibility for basketball in the administration, they decided to continue with Italian head coach Gianmarco Pozzecco, continued his words as follows:
"When I first arrived, I decided to continue with the coach. Because our coach is a beloved and respected coach among the fans. He is a fiery coach. Therefore, our first decision was to continue with the coach. Later, we parted ways with Micov, who also supported our club as a player, and we thanked him. Micov is a valuable personality for us. He was also a loved one during his playing days. But when I came, I wanted to continue with someone I could speak my own language with, whom I knew from before, on whom I could lean and trust. Therefore, we decided to continue with Özgün Önver, with whom I also worked at the federation. The process also showed how right this decision was. According to both the community's and my opinion, continuing with Özgün was a very correct choice. He is hardworking, honest, and someone who knows this business very well. He served as league director for years at the Turkish Basketball Federation. Therefore, he knows both the league and the players very closely. This has provided great advantages to Galatasaray."
Mecit Mert Çetinkaya, noting that they also attach importance to the character of the players when building the team, said, "We are trying to build a characterful team. When building the team, we put the players' personality and character through a very thorough analysis process. Beyond game quality, we make analyses such as 'What can he add to the team in terms of friendship and camaraderie? Is there a risk of causing any problems?'"
Speaking about their new transfers, Çetinkaya said, "Buğrahan is a friend who came from within us. I spoke with him first. I told him we expect a lot from him. He welcomed this with great maturity and promised us that he would act with this awareness this season. Therefore, our first agreement among local players was with Buğrahan. Then, we immediately started initiatives to reach an agreement with Şehmuz, who is one of the best local players. This was a challenging process for us. Şehmuz is a very valuable player with both his character and game quality. We successfully completed the process of convincing him. He also believed in us, trusted us, and we concluded this process favorably. Later, we completed the Metu transfer. Meanwhile, we also made the additions of Pierre and Nikolic. We believe that all the players, with their game quality as well as their character, will take Galatasaray to higher levels. We are striving to create a Galatasaray that fights, resists, and struggles. We keep these qualities at the forefront both when selecting players and building the team." he assessed.
''WE WILL TAKE THREE MORE PLAYERS'' Mecit Mert Çetinkaya said they will complete their transfer efforts by taking three more players.
Noting that they will add one point guard and two more number fives to the squad, Çetinkaya stated:
"We are currently about to reach an agreement with a number five, again a EuroLeague player. This will probably be announced within a day or two. After that, we have a plan to take two more players. One of them is a point guard and scorer. We are being very meticulous about this as well. We have a very good portfolio of players. We have been striving for a long time to choose the best player from among them who is worthy of Galatasaray and can take Galatasaray to high levels. I think we will likely conclude this next week. Finally, we have a goal to take one more number five. After that, we will have completely built the team. This year, I am sure that we will present a team to the fans that truly fights, never gives up, and makes them proud."
Emphasizing that convincing players of EuroLeague level takes a long time, Çetinkaya said, "We used different equations when making transfers. In the Metu transfer, Osimhen stepped in, and in Şehmuz's transfer, Özgün had a great contribution. The persuasion processes are really not easy. Because all of these are EuroLeague players. When transferring a EuroLeague player to a team playing in the Champions League, you face difficulties."
However, the greatness of both our administrators, our managers, and the Galatasaray community plays a huge role in persuading the player. We convey all of this to the player using different arguments. The processes may take a bit longer. Players that other teams might persuade in 3-5 days, we persuade by putting in 3 weeks of work. However, we have somehow managed to sign every player we have set our sights on so far. I hope we show the same success in the next 2-3 transfers and build a beautiful, competitive team."
''WE WILL EXCEED LAST YEAR'S BUDGET'' Mecit Mert Çetinkaya stated that they will increase the team budget with new sponsorships.
Explaining that the board of directors determined the budget before they took office, Çetinkaya said, "Our budget for the new season was more or less clear before we came into management. We started working on how to increase this budget. We are aware that its biggest inputs are sponsorships and ticket revenue. Therefore, we attach great importance to sponsorships. So far, we have signed with 3 sponsors. Next week, we will sign with 3 more sponsors and increase our number of sponsors. We will increase it to 7, excluding MCT Technic. This number will increase even more. Fortunately, they trust the team and us and do not withhold their support. I would like to thank all our sponsors. Apart from the money from sponsorships, we expect a high amount from ticket revenues this year as well. We will exceed last year's figures. With this money, it seems we will go slightly above the budget approved last year. Of course, some of our rivals' budgets can be 3-4 times ours. Still, we will use our available budget most efficiently and field a team that will stand up to them."
''WE AIM FOR THE DOUBLE CUP IN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL'' Galatasaray Club Board Member Çetinkaya stated that they want to gift the fans the European League and Turkish League championships they lost in the finals last season in women's basketball.
Stating that there is a good structure in women's basketball, Çetinkaya said, "Our vice president Mehmet Cibara has put in a great deal of effort in women's basketball. Last season, although we played in the finals of both the European League and the Turkish League, there were two lost cups. This year, a very strong team has been built. I believe that this year we will gift our fans both cups in Europe and in the Turkish League."
''OUR RELATIONS WITH THE TBF WILL PROCEED POSITIVELY'' Çetinkaya stated that he believes their relations with the Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF) will proceed positively.
Reminding that he worked with President Hidayet Türkoğlu at the TBF for a long time, Çetinkaya said, "I served at the federation for nearly 10 years with our current president. Of course, we see the advantages of this. I think our bilateral relations will proceed positively both on an institutional and relational level. So far, they have supported us in every matter. They support us as much as they can regarding the arena and our other requests. In the future, we aim to have regular, good, and problem-free relations."
''I AM SOMEONE WHO GREW UP WITHIN THE COMMUNITY'' Mecit Mert Çetinkaya stated that his father, Mecit Çetinkaya, is a former athlete who wore the Galatasaray jersey and said he grew up in the red-and-yellow community.
Expressing that he is aware of the expectations of Galatasaray fans and the responsibility of this duty, the administrator of the red-and-yellow club said:
"Since my childhood, I have grown up within the community. My father is a former Galatasaray national athlete. He is a former athlete who became a national player more than 50 times with the Galatasaray jersey. Therefore, frankly, I am someone who grew up among the former athletes, and later, as those athletes became administrators, with the next generation of athletes. After we reached the age of 13-14, since I felt that spirit, I grew up in the stands as a Galatasaray fan. Whether it was away games or all the home matches, I have breathed that atmosphere. Therefore, now I sit in the administrative seat that every Galatasaray fan dreams of. I am someone who deeply feels its meaning and value and feels this responsibility on my shoulders. I hope I will be successful in this as well."
Stating that they want to do work worthy of the community and the fans, Çetinkaya said, "I am currently 47 years old. For about 30-35 years, I have been someone who has very closely followed the community, basketball, volleyball, and especially football, both in the stands and on screen. Thank God, Galatasaray has always made us happy. It has never made us hang our heads. Against our rivals, we have always walked with our foreheads high and our heads held high. I sat in this seat with that pride. Now I can see this more clearly. I am someone who knows and sees very well how different we are from other clubs, both administratively and as a community. Therefore, we are all aware of Galatasaray's difference, and we work as hard as we can to be worthy of it."
Stating that they will build a team that will draw the fans back to the arena, Mecit Mert Çetinkaya said, "We are all aware of the power of the fans. Our fans know very well the atmosphere of the basketball matches at the old Abdi İpekçi Arena. We all remember very well the atmosphere in derbies and European matches. If we gain momentum in basketball and cross a sporting success threshold, I believe the fans will quickly be drawn back to the arena. As long as it is a competitive and fighting team, I am sure the fans will come to the arena. With the arena atmosphere improving day by day, I have no doubt that we will capture that spirit again. Hopefully, it will be a beneficial year for all of us. We all work here for Galatasaray. We sacrifice our work, our strength, and our time. What matters is to make this emblem and these fans happy, to make the emblem proud, and to crown it with championships and cups. We all strive for this. I hope we have a great season in basketball, football, and all other branches. As both administrators and fans, this is our only wish."