On January 20, an informal meeting took place in Istanbul between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and famous basketball player Shaquille O’Neal, a four-time NBA champion, as reported by Anadolu Agency.
The meeting was held at the Turkcell Basketball Development Center, where the participants played basketball together with young athletes. After the game, Erdogan and O’Neal signed several basketballs, which became memorable souvenirs.
Additionally, they took joint photos with the young players.
High-profile guests attended the event, including Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan, Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak, Director of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) İbrahim Kalın, and Deputy Chairman of the Justice and Development Party Halit Yerbakkan. Among the deputies of the Grand National Assembly from the ruling party were Mustafa Varank, Cüneyt Yüksel, Alpay Özalan, Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu, and Ünal Karaman. Additionally, guests included President of the Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF) Hidayet Türkoğlu, TBF Vice President Harun Erdenay, and President of the World Ethnosport Confederation Bilal Erdoğan.
