Hüseyin Alp

Hüseyin Alp — Biography

Hüseyin Alp was born on 12 May 1935 in the Kangal district of Sivas; discovered there at 26 and brought to Istanbul, he took up basketball at Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ). After four seasons with İTÜ he moved to Altınordu for the inaugural 1966-67 Turkish Super League season, helping the İzmir club win the league's first title, then returned to İTÜ, with which he won five further championships, including four in a row from 1969 to 1973, and was the league's top scorer in 1967 and 1974. He first wore the Turkish national team jersey on 18 September 1964 against Greece in Bucharest, went on to play at the 1971 EuroBasket, and earned 73 caps in total before his final national appearance against Romania in 1972. Standing 2.15 meters tall, one of the tallest Turkish basketball players of his era, Alp drew Yeşilçam's attention after his playing days and appeared in supporting, often villainous roles between 1965 and 1977, including "Giant" in Tarkan: Gümüş Eyer, Orso in Tarkan: Viking Kanı, and mob boss Beşir in Babanın Evlatları. Diagnosed with cancer in late 1982, he died on 8 January 1983 in Istanbul; a women's basketball club in Kağıthane was later named in his honor.