Born in Fort-de-France, Turiaf spent most of his childhood in Martinique, a French overseas department in the Caribbean Sea. Following the advice from his father, Turiaf moved to Paris in 1998, at the age of 15, to attend the National Institute of Physical Education (INSEP), a school that combines rigorous secondary education with elite-level athletic training.\n', '

In 1999, he made the French Under-18 national team, and he helped lead the team to the gold medal at the 2000 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship with future NBA stars Tony Parker, Boris Diaw, and Mickaël Piétrus.\n', '

In 2001, Turiaf left France after accepting an offer to attend Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, where he played for four years. In his last three years at Gonzaga, he was named First Team All-WCC. Additionally, in his senior year (2004–05), he was named the conference\'s Player of the Year. He ended his college career as the fourth all-time leader in scoring and rebounding in school history, with 1,723 points and 859 rebounds, respectively. He averaged 13.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game through his college years at Gonzaga, but led the WCC averaging 15.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game as a senior. He graduated from Gonzaga with a degree in sports management, communication and French. He was the first triple major in his family.\n', '

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