LOS ANGELES — Rookie guard Onuralp Bitim was a pleasant surprise for the Chicago Bulls when he scored 10 points with six rebounds in a nine-point home win over Cleveland on Feb. 28. The 24-year-old Turkish sensation has appeared in each of the team’s five contests since.
Bitim excelled with the G League Windy City Bulls and was rewarded with a multiyear NBA deal last month after being on a two-way contract.
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On Chicago’s four-game trip, Bitim sat down with The Athletic to talk about his background, favorite players and his emergence.
Growing up, who were some of your favorite players? Who did you follow?
I was always a huge M.J. and Kobe fan. But playing-wise, I was watching a lot of Manu Ginóbili games and highlights. Manu is one of my favorite players, so I was watching him a lot. I was trying to learn from him. I’m a huge basketball fan. I was a fan of a lot of players growing up. But they were probably my favorite growing up.
Manu is a hard player to copy.
Yeah, he’s a very rare talent, definitely. But I love his basketball IQ on offense, on defense, how he passed the ball, shot the ball, drove the ball. But, yeah, like you said, he’s definitely a rare talent.
You turned pro as a teen, so how old were you?
I was practicing with the main team when I was 16. But I started to play officially when I was 17.
What was that experience like?
I mean, it was a little bit hard because in Europe it’s harder to become a player at a young age because most of the European coaches prefer a little bit older and experienced players. I think most of the young, talented players in Europe are having the same problems. Like, some of them are maybe showing themselves. But most of them are trying to go on other teams to show and improve. So it was a little bit hard for me because I was playing with one of the best clubs in Europe. So I needed to leave to improve my basketball game because I was not getting the minutes that I wanted. But that’s typical European (basketball).
Did it help you transition to the NBA having already played against professionals in Europe?
Definitely. I mean, the game is different. But it’s basketball. And I know how to play basketball. The game’s pace is different. The strategy is different here. But at the end of the day, it’s basketball and we’re trying to score the ball and we are trying to defend. So definitely my experience from Europe helped me to adjust here.
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When we watch you play, we can see the shooting. That’s obvious. But what else do you feel like you can add and what do you want to show the coaching staff and your teammates?
I’m normally a scorer. I was a very good scoring player in Europe and also a good pick-and-roll player. I know how to read defenses because that’s what they have been teaching us since a young age. That’s why I think a lot of European players in the NBA know how to read defenses and how to read the games because they’re teaching us at a young age. But right now, I’m trying to just help my team. Whatever they need. If I need to defend, I need to defend. If I need to shoot, I need to shoot. If I need to take a rebound, I need to do that.
When you had that great game in Chicago, I saw a lot of reaction on social media so I can only imagine what it was like for you after the game. What was the reaction you received from everybody back home?
It was crazy. I mean, I’ve never seen my phone like that. I’ve never seen that many messages. I’m lucky that I have good family and friends, and also fans, they were sending me all the positive messages and support. That’s a day that I will never forget.
What was your favorite part of that night other than the win?
It was not the scoring. It was the feeling of love and support from my teammates after the game. That was the most important.
(Photo of Onuralp Bitim: Jeff Haynes / NBAE via Getty Images)