Turkey's '12 Giant Men' Taking Giant Steps in 2010 FIBA World Championship

Filed under: Bucks, Kings, Suns, FIBA World Championship

ISTANBUL -- Turkey is home to the world's tallest man in 8-foot-1 Sultan Kosen. But he is not a Giant Man here.



There are only a dozen such men in Turkey. And one is Ender Arslan, who stands a modest 6-foot-3.



The popular name of the Turkish national basketball team is Oniki Dev Adam, which means The 12 Giant Men. And they take the motto quite seriously here.



Before the Turks routed France 95-77 Sunday at the Sinan Erdem Dome to reach the quarterfinals of the World Championship, the home fans stood and sang the theme song for their heroes, simply called "Oniki Dev Adam.''



Translated it goes, "We will win. We will be the champions. We are 12 Giant Men. We are 12 Giant Men. You will not be alone.''

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Full story at http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/09/05/turkeys-12-giant-men-taking-giant-steps-in-2010-fiba-world-ch/