By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Seven years after joining Fenerbahce as a player and at the bottom end of the lone season as the Individual Development Coach and Infrastructure Ambassador of Fenerbahce Beko, Bobby Dixon also known as Ali Muhammed parted ways with the Istanbul giant due to personal reasons, the team announced Thursday.
Fenerbahce thanked him and pledged to continue to honor his multi-year contribution in the future. In turn, Dixon recapped his journey and wished success to the team in his message to the fans.
Sarı mirasımızın en değerli parçalarından biri olan Ali Muhammed’in sizlere bir mesajı var! @BobbyDixon20 💛💙 pic.twitter.com/cgYckfqQP8
— Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) August 18, 2022
Dixon, 39, retired from professional basketball but returned to Fener appointed as a development coach and ambassador before the start of the 2021-22 season, last October. Playing days concluding at Fenerbahce were highlighted by becoming Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion in 2017 and 156 out of his 166 appearances in Europe’s premier club continental competition.
Coming in as BSL champion as the 2015 Finals MVP for Pinar Karsiyaka, he helped the last team of his playing career top the Turkish league the next three years in a row, from 2016 to 2018. Additional domestic titles in Turkey include three Cups with Fener and four overall. Before landing in Turkey signing a contract with Karsiyaka in 2012 and moving to Fenerbahce three years later, the earlier stages of his career led him to France, Italy, and Poland between 2006 and 2012.
After receiving Turkish citizenship in 2015, Dixon became eligible to play for the senior national team of the country under the name Ali Muhammed. Competing in the 2015 edition of EuroBasket and the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila plus a couple more caps in the 2019 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers shaped his international career.