Cedi Osman

Cedi Osman is a Turkish professional basketball player, known for his seven-year NBA career and current role as a key forward for Panathinaikos BC AKTOR in Greece. Standing 6'7", he combines three-point shooting with defensive versatility. As of 2026, he competes in the EuroLeague and Greek League, and captains the Turkish national team. His high-energy play and durability have made him a fan favorite, with multiple NBA seasons of 72 or more games. After being drafted in the second round of the 2015 NBA draft, he spent seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs, starting 80 games in his third year. Now in Europe, he continues to excel, winning Greek Cups and earning EuroLeague honors while leading his national team to a silver medal at the 2025 European Championship.[edit]

Cedi Osman was born on April 8, 1995, in Ohrid, North Macedonia, to a Turkish father and a Bosniak mother. When he was four, his family moved to Bosnia, settling in Sarajevo. He started playing basketball at age six in 2001, joining KK RIN Family Sarajevo under coach Rusmir Halilović. He later played for KK Bosna's youth teams while attending elementary school in Sarajevo. At 13, Turkish club Anadolu Efes scouted him and invited him to join their youth academy in Istanbul. That move changed everything. “When I came to Turkey at 13, that's when I thought the journey was starting,” Osman later recalled. “My years in Bosnia were good, but it's not like in Turkey. There's more options to work on your game in Istanbul.” His parents had both played basketball, so the sport ran in the family. In Istanbul, he worked his way up through Efes's system, joining the professional team in 2011. He also represented Turkey's youth national teams, winning the FIBA U18 European Championship in 2013 and the FIBA U20 European Championship in 2014, where he was named tournament MVP. He also earned the Turkish Basketball Super League Best Young Player award in 2014.[edit]

Osman's breakthrough came in 2015 when the Minnesota Timberwolves drafted him 31st overall and immediately traded him to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He stayed in Turkey for two more seasons before signing with Cleveland in 2017. In his NBA debut, he played alongside LeBron James and reached the 2018 NBA Finals, winning the Eastern Conference Championship. The 2018-19 season was his best, he started 80 games, averaging 13.0 points and 4.7 rebounds. Over seven NBA seasons, he played 476 games and scored 4,471 points. In 2022, he became the ninth Cavalier to surpass 500 career three-pointers, finishing with 628 for the franchise. The Spurs acquired him in 2023, and he averaged 13.9 points in 72 games that season. In 2024, Osman moved to Panathinaikos in Greece. He won the Greek Cup in 2025 and again in 2026, and was named EuroLeague Round 31 MVP for the 2025-26 season. He captained Turkey to a silver medal at the 2025 European Championship, leading the tournament with 29 made three-pointers.[edit]

Osman is known as a high-energy, versatile small forward with strong three-point shooting and defensive instincts. Media coverage highlights his basketball IQ, team cohesion, and leadership on the court. He is respected for his durability, playing 72 or more games in multiple NBA seasons. Fans and analysts often praise his work ethic and adaptability, transitioning from a rotation player in the NBA to a star in Europe. On social media, he shares basketball content, team updates, and personal milestones, maintaining a professional and approachable presence. He is recognized as a key player for the Turkish National Team and has a significant following on platforms like Instagram and Twitter. No official fandom name is documented.[edit]

Cedi Osman's global attention is substantial, driven by his years in the NBA and his current starring role in European basketball. While his fame is significant, iFANN's Global Fame Engine has evaluated him but he does not currently hold a placement in the published rankings, which include the Global Top 1,000 and various Top-100 scope lists. This means he is not ranked among the top 1,000 most famous people worldwide, nor does he appear in any regional or categorical top 100 lists. Despite this, his fanbase is active and engaged, with 1.3 million Instagram followers. There is no formal fandom name; his supporters rally around the hashtag #TheFirstCedi, which he uses in his bio. This informal slogan captures his trailblazing role for Turkish basketball in the NBA. His fans are not organized into official clubs, but they show support through social media and game-day enthusiasm, especially when he plays for the Turkish national team. The 'Cedi, Cedi' chant, adopted from his teammates' locker room serenade, remains a beloved ritual among Cavaliers fans and continues to be a part of his lore.[edit]

Cedi Osman was born in North Macedonia but holds Turkish citizenship through his father, under Turkey's right-of-return laws. His older brother Caner is also a professional basketball player. He began playing basketball at age six because his parents, both former players, told him to channel his excess energy into the sport. As he put it, 'It was just a hobby at the beginning. After school, I would come back and had too much energy. I still have too much energy. My parents played basketball in the past, so they told me to start playing basketball too as a hobby because of this much energy that I had.' Osman recorded 628 three-point field goals for the Cavaliers, ranking fifth in franchise history at the time of his departure. He is one of only a handful of Turkish players to have a substantial NBA career, and his 4,471 career points make him one of the most productive Turkish players in NBA history. He also won the Turkish Cup and Turkish Presidential Cup with Anadolu Efes before joining the NBA. One legendary story from his Cleveland days is the locker room serenade: LeBron James and teammates would sing 'Cedi, Cedi' to the tune of Omi's 'Cheerleader' before games. Another tale he often tells is that you can never beat LeBron to practice, as he is always there first. In a EuroLeague game against Fenerbahce, a brawl broke out, and Osman later publicly explained the incident, showing his transparency. His transfer to PAOK Thessaloniki was dubbed a 'surprise move' and a 'blockbuster deal', adding to his lore in Greek basketball.[edit]

Osman's father is Turkish and his mother is Bosniak from Novi Pazar, Serbia. Both parents played basketball. He has an older brother, Caner Osman, who also plays professional basketball. Osman married Turkish actress Ebru Şahin in 2022 in a private ceremony. The couple has no publicly reported children as of 2026. They live in Greece during the basketball season. Osman's family background includes Turkish citizenship through paternal lineage under Turkey's right-of-return laws.[edit]

Osman played alongside LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2017-18 NBA Finals run. He was teammates with Victor Wembanyama on the San Antonio Spurs in 2023-24. His older brother Caner Osman is also a professional basketball player. His first coach was Rusmir Halilović at KK RIN Family Sarajevo. He is married to Turkish actress Ebru Şahin. [edit]

Osman married Turkish actress Ebru Şahin in 2022 after a reported engagement in 2021. Şahin is best known for her role in the TV series Hercai. The couple had a private wedding ceremony and have no children as of 2026. No other public relationships are documented.[edit]

iFANN currently estimates Cedi Osman's net worth at $18 million, built primarily from his NBA salary and European contracts. Over seven NBA seasons (2017-2024), he earned roughly $26-28 million in total salary. His rookie contract with the Cavaliers was worth about $8.5 million, followed by a second deal worth $17.4 million. His final NBA season with the Spurs paid $6.7 million. In 2024, he signed with Panathinaikos in Greece for an estimated €1.5-2 million per season. He also has endorsement deals with Turkish brands like Beko, though specific terms are not public. Real estate holdings are not documented. Some sources estimate his net worth in the range of $12-18 million.[edit]

Osman has won multiple international and club titles. He was MVP of the 2014 FIBA U20 European Championship and won gold at both the U18 and U20 levels with Turkey. At the senior level, he captained Turkey to a silver medal at the 2025 European Championship. Domestically, he won the Greek Cup with Panathinaikos in 2025 and 2026, and was named EuroLeague Round 31 MVP for the 2025-26 season. [edit]