Ömer Yurtseven made it where every young basketball player dreams of reaching: the NBA. And not just any team, but one of its most iconic teams, the Miami Heat.
Now, that would be enough of a life achievement for any athlete, but Ömer is not just any athlete. Ömer is a gladiator who, even when obtaining what seems impossible, still went for more. His goal was to contribute to sustainability and remove plastic from the ocean. He wanted to find a way to connect an issue like ocean pollution with something inspiring like sports.
That's how he created Swish for Change in 2023. A platform that recovers discarded, broken, and abandoned fishing nets from the ocean and restores them to turn them into basketball nets.
This initiative transformed Ömer into a "storydoer." He's someone whose actions inspire and drive real change. And that's why today, Ömer Yurtseven and Swish for Change are part of The Ocean Connections, the first community of leaders taking action for the oceans.