Funda Nakkaşoğlu
| No. 3 – Sandringham Sabres | |
|---|---|
| Position | Guard |
| League | NBL1 South |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 22 September 1995 |
| Nationality | Australian / Turkish |
| Listed height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | St Leonard's (Melbourne, Victoria) |
| College |
|
| WNBA draft | 2019: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2012–present |
| Career history | |
| 2012–2014 | Bulleen/Melbourne Boomers (WNBL) |
| 2013–2014 | Bulleen Boomers (Big V) |
| 2019–2020 | Galatasaray S.K. |
| 2020–2022 | Sydney Uni Flames |
| 2021 | Ringwood Hawks |
| 2022–present | Sandringham Sabres |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Funda Nakkaşoğlu (born 22 September 1995) is an Australian-Turkish basketball player for the Sandringham Sabres of the NBL1 South. She played college basketball for the Utah State Aggies and Florida Gators, and has previously played in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) for the Bulleen Boomers and Sydney Uni Flames.
Early life and career
Nakkaşoğlu was born and bred in Melbourne, Australia.[1] She grew up with a father who played basketball and a mother who played volleyball.[2] Nakkaşoğlu graduated from St Leonard's in Melbourne.[3][4]
Nakkaşoğlu debuted in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) with the Bulleen Boomers during the 2012–13 season. In 10 games, she averaged 2.5 points and 1.0 assists per game.[5][6] She joined the Bulleen Boomers Big V team for the 2013 Big V season, averaging 14.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 18 games.[7]
Nakkaşoğlu continued with the Boomers' WNBL team, now known as the Melbourne Boomers, in 2013–14[8] but she did not play.[5][6] She returned to the Boomers' Big V team for the 2014 season and averaged 20.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 steals in 17 games.[9]
College career
Nakkaşoğlu moved to the United States in 2014 to play college basketball for the Utah State Aggies.[3] She was the Mountain West Conference's leading scorer in the 2015–16 season, averaging 20.8 points per game. She ranked 21st in the country in scoring and was named to the All-Mountain West first team.[10]
After two seasons with the Aggies, Nakkaşoğlu transferred to the Florida Gators.[11] She sat out the 2016–17 season due to NCAA transfer regulations and then played two seasons for the Gators between 2017 and 2019, finishing her collegiate career with 2,047 points (1,149 with Utah State and 898 with Florida).[4]
Professional career
In August 2019, Nakkaşoğlu signed with Galatasaray S.K. of the Turkish Super League.[12] In nine games during the 2019–20 season, she averaged 4.7 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. She also appeared in two EuroCup games.[5]
In July 2020, Nakkaşoğlu signed with the Sydney Uni Flames.[13] In 12 games for the Flames during the 2020 WNBL Hub season in Queensland, she averaged 8.3 points and 1.0 rebounds per game.[5]
Nakkaşoğlu joined the Ringwood Hawks of the NBL1 South for the 2021 NBL1 season.[14] In 12 games, she averaged 19.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game.[5]
Nakkaşoğlu re-joined the Sydney Uni Flames for the 2021–22 WNBL season. In 13 games, she averaged 7.2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.[5]
Nakkaşoğlu joined the Sandringham Sabres for the 2022 NBL1 South season. In 19 games, she averaged 18.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.[5] With the Sabres in the 2023 season, she averaged 18.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals in 19 games.[5] With the Sabres in the 2024 season, she averaged 21.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 10 games,[5] missing the end of the season with an injury.[15] With the Sabres in the 2025 season, she averaged 20.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 17 games.[5] She re-signed with the Sabres for the 2026 season.[16]
National team
In 2016, Nakkaşoğlu was selected to the extended Turkish national team squad for a pre-tournament camp ahead of the Rio Olympics.[10][11] In 2018, she participated in a multiphase selection camp for the Turkish national team.[4]
Personal life
Nakkaşoğlu's father is from Turkey[13] and she subsequently holds both Australian and Turkish passports.[11]
References
- ^ Wildes, Hayley (20 August 2020). "Funda Nakkasoglu: Around the world and back again". pickandroll.com.au. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
- ^ "3 - Funda Nakkaşoğlu - Guard". galatasaray.org (in Turkish). Retrieved 25 October 2025.
- ^ a b "Funda Nakkasoglu - Women's Basketball". Utah State University Athletics. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
- ^ a b c "Funda Nakkasoglu - Women's Basketball". Florida Gators. 3 November 2025. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Funda Nakkasoglu, Basketball Player, News, Stats - australiabasket". Eurobasket LLC. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
- ^ a b "Funda Nakkasoglu - Player Statistics WNBL". SportingPulse. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
- ^ "Funda Nakkasoglu - Player Statistics Big V 2013". GameDay. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
- ^ "Melbourne Boomers: Team Roster". WNBL.com.au. Archived from the original on 15 November 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
- ^ "Funda Nakkasoglu - Player Statistics Big V 2014". GameDay. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
- ^ a b "Turkey get back to work, Nakkasoglu joins group". www.fiba.basketball. 6 July 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
- ^ a b c France, Lachy (10 July 2016). "Turkish delight as Funda Nakkasoglu switches allegiance". pickandroll.com.au. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
- ^ "Galatasaray signs Funda Nakkaşoğlu". galatasaray.org. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
- ^ a b "FLAMES SIGN YOUNG-GUN FUNDA NAKKASOGLU". wnbl.basketball. 8 July 2020. Archived from the original on 9 July 2020.
- ^ "Funda Set to Fire the Hawks". facebook.com/RingwoodHawksBasketballAssociation. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
- ^ "Sabres sign returning star". nbl1.com.au. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
- ^ "Funda Nakkasoglu Re-Signs with Sandringham Sabres". nbl1.com.au. 24 October 2025. Retrieved 25 October 2025.