What is Ömer Aşık's Net worth and Salary?
Ömer Aşık is a retired Turkish professional basketball player who has a net worth of $30 million. Ömer Aşık was a 7'0″ center, and he started his professional career playing for Fenerbahce in Turkey in 2005. He also played for FMV Isik Spor Kulubu and Alpella in Turkey. Aşık was a two-time Turkish Basketball League All-Star and won the TBL Championship in 2008.
Ömer was drafted #36 by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2008 NBA Draft. He was immediately traded to the Chicago Bulls after being drafted. Aşık played for Chicago from 2010 to 2012. In 2012, he signed a three-year deal worth $25.1 million with the Houston Rockets. In 2014, Aşık was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. He returned to the Bulls in 2017, where he finished his career in 2020. Ömer also competed for Turkey in international competition. In 2010, he won a Silver medal at the 2010 FIBA World Championships.
During his NBA career, Ömer Aşık earned $75 million in salary alone.
Early Life
Ömer Aşık was born on July 4, 1986, in Bursa, Turkey. His parents intentionally planned to have a child on the Fourth of July, as they loved the United States. Ömer played basketball from a young age and quickly showed great promise in the sport. He played in high school and quickly attracted the attention of professional teams in Turkey. In 2005, when he was 19, he was first signed by Fenerbahce, a professional basketball team in Turkey.
Career
Aşık played two games with Fenerbahce before being loaned to a team in Turkey's 2nd division for the 2005-2006 season in order to continue developing his skills. He was then signed for the 2006-2007 season by Alpella. Ömer left Alpella in December 2007 and resumed the season by playing again with Fenerbahce for a second time. Soon after, he tore his ACL and didn't play for six months. Shortly after his return, he broke his collarbone and couldn't play for an additional two months. When he finally did return after his injury, he helped Fenerbahce win the Turkish championship in 2008. He also was a two-time All-Star for Fenerbahce in both 2008 and 2009.
Aşık was drafted with the 36th overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2008 NBA draft. He was then immediately traded to the Chicago Bulls in a three-team deal. In July 2010, he was signed to a two-year deal with the Bulls. He made his regular-season debut with the Bulls in October 2010 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. While he didn't typically start in games, Ömer earned more and more playtime as the season went on and became one of the first players off the bench during the Bulls' playoff run. In the post-season, he suffered a fracture to his fibula. He recovered from the injury and played well during the 2011-2012 season.
In July 2012, Aşık signed an offer sheet with the Houston Rockets, reportedly worth $25 million over three years. At the time, Ömer was a restricted free agent, meaning that the Bulls could have matched Houston's offer to retain him. However, the Bulls decided not to do so, and Aşık officially joined the Rockets on July 24. Aşık had a breakout season with the team, becoming the Rockets' starting center and leading the league in rebounds during the 2012-2013 season. He assisted the Rockets to a 45-37 record and helped the team make the playoffs for the first time since the 2008-2009 NBA season.
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In 2013, the Rockets acquired Dwight Howard, which drastically reduced Aşık's role on the team. At the end of the year, Ömer injured his knee and was out for two months. In July 2014, Aşık was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in a three-team trade. He made his debut with the Pelicans in their season-opening game against the Orlando Magic and played very well. Ömer continued performing very well throughout the rest of the season. In July 2015, Aşık re-signed with the Pelicans on a five-year, $60 million contract. Many sports commentators criticized the contract, saying it was the least tradable contract in the league. However, Aşık continued playing well throughout the 2015-2016 season.
Aşık was limited to playing only 31 games in the 2016-2017 season due to a bacterial infection. He was later diagnosed with Crohn's disease. He missed eight months with the illness and lost 30 pounds during that time.
In February 2018, Aşık was traded along with two other teammates to the Chicago Bulls. Unfortunately, in September 2018, Ömer was ruled out indefinitely with inflammatory arthritis that had flared up over the summer. In October, he was waived by the Bulls. In June 2019, the NBA removed Aşık's contract from the Bulls' books via career-ending illness/injury.
In addition to his professional career, Aşık has played on the international stage. He first played with the Turkish national team in 2006 during the U20 European Championship Men's Division A Team. The team won the silver medal. In 2010, Aşık was part of the Turkish national team as they competed in the 2010 FIBA World Championship. He helped Turkey make it to the championship game against the United States and ultimately secured the silver medal.
