Former Miami Heat Center Omer Yurtseven Is Back In North America with New Contract

Former Miami Heat and Utah Jazz center Omer Yurtseven last played in the NBA in the 2023-24 season. The 6'11" big man out of Turkey played the last two years in the EuroLeague with Panathinaikos in Greece.

But Yurtseven wants to give the NBA another shot, and has signed with the Houston Rockets' affiliate in the G League, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. He'll be much easier for scouts to follow here, under a strong developmental system, and could earn himself another shot in the Association.

NBA veteran Ömer Yurtseven has signed into G League, per source, and will join the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The former Miami Heat and Utah Jazz 7-footer spent the past two seasons in Greece with Panathinaikos B.C.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) March 4, 2026

He signed with Miami as an undrafted free agent in 2021, and played sparingly across two seasons in South Beach, before spending a third NBA season in Utah. Overall, in 113 games, he averaged 5.0 points and 4.6 rebounds in only 11.8 minutes of average floor time a night. Per-36-Minutes, that works out to 14.7 points and 13.7 boards. The kid just needs a chance.

The 27-year-old averaged 6.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in 19 Euroleague games, six of them as a starter, averaging 12 minutes per game.

But this season, he fell out of the rotation when another former NBA center, Richaun Holmes, returned from injury. Yurtseven and Panathinaikos decided part ways this past week.