Ronny Turiaf

Ronny Turiaf /ˈroʊni ˈtɜːriɑːf/ (born January 13, 1983) is a French former professional basketball player who played 10 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Turiaf grew up in Martinique then attended high school in Paris and college at Gonzaga University in the United States. At Gonzaga, Turiaf played for the Bulldogs basketball team and was the leading West Coast Conference scorer in his senior year. After graduating from Gonzaga, Turiaf entered the 2005 NBA draft and was picked by the Los Angeles Lakers. He later played for the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Washington Wizards, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves. Turiaf appeared in a total of 520 games over his NBA career and won his only NBA championship in 2012 with the Miami Heat. He was also a member of the French national team, earning 100 caps for his country.

Turiaf spent most of his childhood in Martinique, a French overseas department in the Caribbean Sea. Following the advice from his father, Turiaf moved to Paris in 1998, at the age of 15, to attend the National Institute of Physical Education (INSEP), a school that combines rigorous secondary education with elite-level athletic training.

In 1999, he made the French Under-18 national team, and in 2000, he helped lead the team to the European title with future NBA stars Tony Parker, Boris Diaw, and Mickaël Piétrus.

In 2001, Turiaf left France after accepting an offer to attend Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, where he played for four years. In his last three years at Gonzaga, he was named First Team All-WCC. Additionally, in his senior year (2004–05), he was named the conference's Player of the Year. He ended his college career as the fourth all-time leader in scoring and rebounding in school history, with 1,723 points and 859 rebounds, respectively. He averaged 13.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game through his college years at Gonzaga, but led the WCC averaging 15.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game as a senior. He graduated from Gonzaga with a degree in sports management, communication and French. He was the first triple major in his family.

Los Angeles Lakers

2005–06 season

Turiaf in the Los Angeles Lakers uniform. He played for Lakers from 2006 to 2008.

Ronny Turiaf was the 37th overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft to the Los Angeles Lakers, signing a two-year, $1 million contract. After a physical exam conducted by the Lakers just four weeks after the draft, team doctor, John Moe, found an enlarged aortic root in Turiaf's heart. After multiple examinations by other physicians, the Lakers decided that the problem, which was cleared by doctors in both France and the NBA's pre-Draft camp, was serious enough to require surgery. The Lakers were forced to void Turiaf's contract but retained his rights in case he was cleared to play again after the surgery. In addition, the team paid for all the expenses from the surgery. Turiaf underwent the six-hour open-heart surgery on July 26, 2005. His expected recovery time was between six and twelve months.

As part of his rehabilitation, Turiaf signed with the Continental Basketball Association's Yakama Sun Kings, a team that drafted him with their 36th pick in the 2005 CBA draft. He played 9 games with the Sun Kings, averaging 13 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Turiaf recovered from his surgery quicker than expected and was therefore re-signed with the Lakers on January 17, 2006, less than six months after his surgery. In order to make room on the team's 15-man roster, the Lakers waived guard Laron Profit after his season-ending injury.

2006–07 season

On November 1, 2006, the second game of the season, Ronny Turiaf scored career highs in almost every category against the Golden State Warriors, including 8/10 shooting with 23 points and 14 rebounds.

2007–08 season

Ronny Turiaf received playing time due to the many Laker injuries during the 2007–08 season. He was in the starting line-up at the beginning of the season as a forward alongside Lamar Odom, but after spraining his left ankle during practice on November 15, 2007, Turiaf missed two games of his own while his starts became limited. However, after Pau Gasol sprained his ankle on March 14, 2008 in New Orleans, Ronny took over as the starting center for nine games until Gasol returned on April 2. In that nine game span, Turiaf's stats jumped to over 30 minutes per game with 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Yet the Lakers went 5–4 during those nine games, including back-to-back losses at home against the Charlotte Bobcats and the Memphis Grizzlies, two of the league's worst teams. Turiaf and the Lakers would reach the 2008 NBA Finals, but they would lose in six games to their arch rivals Boston Celtics.

Golden State Warriors

On July 9, 2008, Ronny Turiaf agreed to a four-year, $17 million contract offer from the Golden State Warriors. According to free agency rules, his previous team, the Los Angeles Lakers, had seven days to match that offer.

The Lakers, on July 18, decided not to match the Warriors' offer and the deal was finalized.

New York Knicks

Turiaf with the New York Knicks in 2010.

On July 9, 2010, Turiaf was traded to the New York Knicks along with Anthony Randolph, Kelenna Azubuike and a future second-round pick in a sign and trade deal for David Lee.

ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne

During the 2011 NBA lockout he signed with ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne in his native France.

Washington Wizards

On December 10, 2011, Turiaf was traded to the Washington Wizards.

Miami Heat

On March 15, 2012, Turiaf was traded to the Denver Nuggets along with JaVale McGee in a three-way trade involving the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Washington Wizards. He was waived by the Nuggets shortly afterwards.

On March 21, 2012, Turiaf signed with the Miami Heat. On June 21, 2012, Turiaf won his first NBA championship.

Los Angeles Clippers

On July 27, 2012, Turiaf signed with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Minnesota Timberwolves

On July 18, 2013, Turiaf signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He managed 31 games for Minnesota in 2013–14, but only two games in 2014–15 after being ruled out for the rest of the season on December 16, 2014 after undergoing a successful arthroscopic procedure on his right hip. Three days later, he was acquired by the Philadelphia 76ers in a three-team trade that involved the Timberwolves and the Houston Rockets. He was waived by the 76ers on December 23, 2014.

Turiaf announced his retirement from basketball on October 24, 2016, almost two years after having appeared in his last game and after having been plagued by hip pain for a long time.

Turiaf represented the French national team internationally, having competed at the 2012 London Olympics, the 2006 World Championships and the 2007 and 2009 European Championships.

Regular season

Playoffs

Career highs

• Points: 23 vs Golden State on November 1, 2006
• FG made: 8 on 3 occasions
• FT made: 10 vs Boston on December 26, 2008
• Rebounds: 15 vs Phoenix on April 8, 2007
• Assists: 8 3 times
• Steals: 3 6 times
• Blocks: 6 2 times

Source: NBA.com

Turiaf can speak five languages: French, English, Spanish, Italian, and Antillean Creole (his native language). He has four younger sisters: Elodie, Florence, Nadia, and Rachelle.

In August 2009, Turiaf set up his "Heart to Heart" Foundation to provide medical care to children who do not have health insurance and cannot afford the care they need. According to the Foundation's website, the mission is "to provide support, including echocardiograms to people with heart related issues so they can live a healthy and happy life."