By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Former Zenit St. Petersburg guard Shabazz Napier is the player who is in talks with Panathinaikos per SDNA.
“I hope that we will have a new player next week,” coach Dejan Radonjic said after Panathinaikos‘ tough road win over Lavrio in the Greek League. “I found a player, there’s one name we have on the list. I hope that he’ll be with us during the next week.”
Napier is not a stranger to European basketball. He was mentioned during the summer as a potential target of Crvena Zvezda, after signing a one-year contract with Zenit Saint Petersburg for the 2021-22 season with Zenit St. Petersburg.
However, the 31-years old guard picked up an injury in the preseason and while projected to return to action instead departed in February following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the persisting war in the country of Eastern Europe.
He ended up this season in the G-League with the Capitanes, the team based in Mexico City. Last night he scored 36 points, while dishing four assists and getting five rebounds in the 128-117 win over the Santa Cruz Warriors.
Coming out of the University of Connecticut as a two-time NCAA champion, he was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 24th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft. He went on to appear in 354 games producing 7.0 points, 2.4 assists, 1.9 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 0.1 blocks per contest between the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Portland Trail Blazers, Brooklyn Nets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Washington Wizards.