 Due his father's illness, the family moved to Istanbul so that his father could receive proper treatment.In Istanbul, he joined the Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe, Ülkerspor, "Fiskobirlik", "Güney Sanayi", "Çukurova Kulübü", "Devlet Su İşleri" and "Tarsus Amerikan Kulübü" clubs as a professional U18 basketball player.Due to a dislocated leg, he left basketball.