Meet Emir Demirkiran, a proud son of Adana, Turkey, born in 1997. Emir’s journey in sports began on the courts of Adana Gundogdu Koleji until high school. But Emir’s story took a twist when he headed off to the United States for high school at the Orme School of Arizona. There, Emir’s love for basketball soared. In his sophomore year, he helped his team snatch the 2A Arizona State Championship, a huge win for the school. 

Following his high school pursuits, Emir transitioned away from competitive basketball and embarked on a new chapter at Carleton University in 2015, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications & Marketing in 4 years.

Determined to stay connected to the game he loved, Emir enrolled in the NBA Scouting & General Manager Certification program immediately after finishing his first year in university, seizing the opportunity to deepen his understanding of talent evaluation and player development. This decision opened doors for Emir, leading to internship with the New York Knicks scouting team during the NBA Las Vegas Summer League in 2016. Emir’s journey in sports scouting reached new heights when he was appointed as the FIBA Women’s Basketball European Scout with NetScouts Basketball for a three-month period in Summer 2017. 

After returning from the scouting trip, with only second year of university behind them, Emir and Batu embarked on a courageous path: founding Play Sports Abroad Recruiting Consulting Agency. This bold decision set them on a distinct path to inspire and guide the next generation of student-athletes with personalized support and mentorship.

Describe why you like being a Play Sports Abroad staff in one sentence.

My answer,

“Because we are changing the world one athlete at a time.”