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As he walked from the court and into a tunnel at EnergySolutions Arena last week, Mehmet Okur heard it, something familiar but something he doesn't hear much these days. In the stands, a small group of fans chanted his name.

"It was just something all players want to hear when they come back," the retired Jazz center would say later. "It felt so good. I'm not going to lie. It was fun."

At the same time, there was something strange to him about that preseason game. He sat courtside with Jazz CEO Greg Miller, but still felt too far away from the action.

It was not nearly as close to the court as he was in January 2011, the last time he suited up and played for the Utah Jazz. Not nearly as close to the action as he was a year later, after being traded to the Nets, when he tried to make a final comeback from rupturing his Achilles.

"I gave my 100 percent," he said. "I tried to make a run again and tried to come back. Didn't happen. Didn't work. I knew that was my story. But I wish I was still playing. I wish I was still on the floor running, but I had to move on."

That love for the game endears him to Jazz fans all these years later. But the reality of the situation, of his story, has led him to open a new chapter in Utah.

This year, Okur has been hired to act as a "team ambassador" for the Jazz. It's a new position within the franchise, and part of a renewed effort by Jazz officials to embrace the team's past.

"We started last year to kind of build an alumni program," Jazz president Randy Rigby said. "We had Jerry [Sloan] and Karl [Malone] getting involved more on the basketball side. But we felt, as we brought some of the players back for Jerry's retirement and as we honored Frank [Layden] and our first playoff team, we realized we need to continue to reach out to our alumni and have them connected with us."

Okur will shake hands with sponsors. He'll meet with season-ticket holders. And he'll gladly help out at any charity golf event.

Okur, perhaps the best basketball player to every come out of Turkey, played in the NBA from 2002-12. He won an NBA title with the Detroit Pistons in 2004. The following year, he came to Utah where he would provide shooting behind the one-two pick-and-roll punch of Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer.

A decade later, he remains a fan favorite in Utah.

"I think he connects with the fans because he's a fan of basketball himself," Rigby said. "He has a genuine heart and I think he really enjoys people. That's really a gift that he has. People feel that."

In addition to being a nice guy, he was also a pretty good player. Okur averaged 15.3 points and 7.6 rebounds during his time with the Jazz. In 2007, he was named an NBA All-Star.

The 6-foot-11 Okur smiled last week when asked about his favorite memories as a Jazz man.

"I had a couple 3-point shots," he said. "Made the All-Star team, the Western Conference Finals. I mean, a couple put-backs against San Antonio at the last second. I got my nickname from shooting last second shots.

"All good memories. I still watch on YouTube. I still have the CDs I show me kids. Look! That's me!"

And that last part is important to know.

The Money Man is getting paid a relatively small amount for this new gig with the Jazz. But the opportunity means something much more to him.

Last week, as part of his duties, he joined Jazz center Enes Kanter at the Sorenson Multicultural Center on Salt Lake's west side to shoot some hoops with and sign autographs for some children.

The children were young. They were too young to remember Okur the player, which is to say they were the same age as Okur's own to children.

Really, that's why he took the job with the Jazz.

"I want to make sure [my children] come to games and practices here and there," he said. "I want to make sure they grow up on a basketball court and come watch the guys."

For Okur, those chanting fans who made him feel so good validated something he believes about his playing days in Utah.

"Seven years. I left something here," he said. "I left my heart here."

Now he wants his children to see the place where he left it. —

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