Furkan Korkmaz is not used to sitting still:
“I’ve never had a month off [of basketball]. The max, I’d say, is two weeks.”
Quarantined at his apartment in Philly, Korkmaz has been eager to get back in the groove.
Here’s some of what he’s been up to...
He’s found a rhythm in his daily routine, which starts with morning calls with his friends and family in Turkey:
“We’re just trying to do our part and stay home, like everybody… I wake up, eat breakfast - oatmeal, some eggs - I try to work out from 12 to 2. Then I eat, sleep, watch movies, watch TV series, eat, sleep, again, and watch again.”
Korkmaz has also used his time at home to develop his skills in the kitchen:
“I’ve never been a good chef. I just started to cook some easy stuff. I’m trying to do soup, pasta, rice. I’ll cook some chicken, meat, fish, salad - I’m really good at salad.”
He’s also been improving his craft as a comedian:
“I’ve watched Trevor Noah’s standup shows a couple times. I’m trying to get into standup shows, so I can make better jokes… I’m not the most funny guy in the world, but I think I have good jokes sometimes.”
After a breakout season, Korkmaz reflected on a pair of impressive performances in February - combining for 65 points in back-to-back outings against Memphis and Chicago:
“It’s all about confidence. If the game before, you score 34, you’re still feeling it.”
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Korkmaz added that this group of 76ers has been particularly tight-knit, bonded by their tradition of dinners on the road:
“Those team dinners were Kyle O’Quinn standup shows. He’s so funny - he makes us laugh every time. And that affects things on the court. You become more together, when you start to know each other more. When we go to dinner, we’re not trying to talk about basketball, we’re trying to talk about other stuff, and that makes you know each other more.”
He says that chemistry translates to the floor too:
“Whenever I score, I feel like [my teammates] score. They react like that. It really feels good.”
Some fun facts about Furkan…
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His favorite color is red.
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He’s not a big pizza guy.
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He likes to drink tea.
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Broccoli is his favorite vegetable.
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His favorite sport (aside from basketball) is soccer.
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He wears a size 15 shoe.
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He’s a big Drake fan.
Five things Furkan can’t live without in quarantine:
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Water
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iPhone
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WiFi
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Food (and snacks)
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Laptop
Korkmaz signed off with a message to his fans:
“We really miss you guys. I hope everybody is trying to get through this stuff - I just want to say, try to stay at home. One for all, all for one. Just think about this, be protective of yourself, your family, your friends, whoever you have. We miss you guys. I hope to see you soon.”
Check back into sixers.com to post up with more of the 76ers as the hiatus continues.