New Cleveland Cavaliers signing Cedi Osman has not hid away from his future ambitions, stating that he wants a long NBA career and
Like Hedo Turkoglu and Mehmet Okur before him, Osman first wants to win a medal with Turkey at this summer’s Eurobasket where they are co-hosting, but also are housing the final stages at the iconic Sinan Erdem Dome.
“It was great honour for Turkish basketball to win the silver medal in the 2010 FIBA World Cup at Turkey,” explained Osman who feels that this can be repeated.
“We will play again in front of our fans and we will give our best. We want to win a medal playing in our country.
“Our 1994, 1995 and 1996 generation won many medals in the junior European Championships so I’m very excited to play with those teammates again in Eurobasket 2017. We’re a very young team and we have a lot ot talent.”
The 22-year-old will be NBA-bound following Eurobasket and admits that it will be a disappointment if he returns to Europe after a couple of seasons.
Osman joined the Cavs from Anadolu Efes where he averaged 7.1 points and a career-high 2.8 rebounds a game last season in the EuroLeague.
“I always dreamed about this”, said Osman about the NBA. “Every single year I had a goal and I wanted to reach it. This year I signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. I’ll try to do my best.
“My next target is to have a long NBA career. If I return to Europe after a couple years, that will be a disappointment for me. I want to play in the NBA for a long time like Hidayet Turkoglu and Mehmet Okur. I hope to reach that goal.”
