Team 2008-09: GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (USA-NBA)
Career: CENTRE FÉDÉRAL-INSEP (France-N1, 1998-2001), Gonzaga Bulldogs (USA-NCAA, 2001-05), Los Angeles Lakers (USA-NBA, 2005-08), Golden State Warriors (USA-NBA, 2008-09)
Turiaf is one of the most amazing stories basketball has seen in this past few years. Diagnosed with a potentially fatal heart condition right after being drafted in the summer of 2005 by the Lakers, he had to go through life-threatening surgery to even live a normal life. Few thought he would ever return to the court but the former Gonzaga star never gave up. He fought through rehab and not even six months after the surgery was able to rejoin the Lakers. No player had ever come back from this kind of procedure to play in the pros. He won the European Championship for Junior Men in 2000 with Diaw, Parker, Diawara and Pietrus, but made the surprising choice to go to the NCAA rather than sign with a Euroleague team. At Gonzaga, he became the leader - on and off the court. Drafted by the Lakers, he became Kobe's best friend on the team and an important player on and off the court. Signed by the Warriors last summer, Ronny had a hard time adjusting to Don Nelson's style of play but impressed everybody by his capacity to block shots as he was third in the league last season with a 2.1 blocks average in only 21 minutes per game.
