About Nevriye Yılmaz Nevriye Yılmaz (born June 16, 1980 in Plovdiv, Bulgaria) is a Turkish professional female basketball player of Fenerbahçe İstanbul. The international competitor is 1.95 m (6' 5") tall. Yılmaz, who grew up in Bulgaria as a member of Turkish minority, moved to İstanbul, Turkey with her parents when she was nine years old. She began her basketball career in Turkey. In 1997, she won the World High School Basketball Championship with Boğaziçi Lisesi. She played in I.U.S.B.K., Galatasaray SK in Turkey. Then she moved first to the Greek team Apollon Patras, and later to the Bulgarian team Akademik Test Plovdiv. Yılmaz is the first Turkish woman to play in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). In 1999, she participated in the Charlotte Sting's training camp, but was released before the season started. In 2000, she attended the training camp for the now-defunct Miami Sol, but was also released prior to the start of the regular season. Then in 2003, Yılmaz signed a free agent contract with the Phoenix Mercury and played five games for them. The following year, 2004, she played seven games for the San Antonio Silver Stars. Yılmaz moved then to Italy to play for Basket Spezia in Termo Carispe Mirabello and Pool Comense in Como. In 2005, she returned home to play in Fenerbahçe İstanbul. Yılmaz participated at the 2005 Mediterranean Games in Almería, Spain and won a gold medal with her national team. Yılmaz is with more than 180 games (188 games until 7 December 2007) the most capped national player. She was a student in the Sports Academy at the Istanbul University. She won 2005 Europe Cup Ribaund Quenn and 2007 Euroleuge All-Star player honor.