After winning the NBA title with the Golden State Warriors, Nemanja Bjelica has reached an agreement in principle to play with European powerhouse Fenerbahce in Turkey for the next two years, according to reports from Turkish journalist Ugor Ozan and Kendra Andrews from ESPN.
Nemanja Bjelica has informed the Warriors that he is leaving the NBA to return to Turkey, sources confirmed to ESPN. Bjelica played for Turkish champions Fenerbahce between 2013 and 2015.
Another hit to the Warriors’ depth.
— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) July 1, 2022
Bjelica started his NBA career in 2015, five years after being drafted, with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He also played for the Sacramento Kings and Miami Heat in his seven-year career in the league. During the summer of 2021, he signed a one-year deal with the Warriors to compete for a championship.
Bjelica leaves American soil with 449 played games and averages of 7.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 20.4 minutes per game while shooting close to 39% from the three-point line.
Turkey is already a familiar place for him as he played for Fenerbahce previously from 2013 to 2015. In those two seasons, he won one Turkish League championship and a EuroLeague MVP award.
Currently, Bjelica is in Europe playing for the Serbian national team in the first round of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup European Qualifiers. The team has one game left against Belgium but they already secured a spot in the second round.
