By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Fenerbahce Beko officially welcomed back Nicolo Melli on Tuesday.
The agreement on a two-year contract was reported by Eurohoops on Monday.
Melli, 33, played for Fener between 2017 and 2019. In the season following the first Turkish Airlines EuroLeague championship in team history, he helped Fenerbahce Dogus reach the championship game of the 2018 Final Four. The team coached by Zeljko Obradovic fell to Real Madrid in Belgrade. His efforts over those two years combined with winning the Turkiye Sigorta Basketbol Super Ligi in 2018 and the Tukirye Kupasi in 2019.
From the Istanbul outfit to the NBA, Melli made his way to 108 games of the best league in the world between the New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks, from 2019 to 2021. Returning to Europe and reuniting with EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, he spent the last three years in the fashion capital and became captain of Le Scarpette Rosse. On an expiring contract, he was released from Olimpia Milan last Thursday.
Navigating his 12th campaign in the EuroLeague, the native of Reggio Emilia went for 7.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest over 34 appearances, all starts for the club based in Milan. The team coached by Ettore Messina finished 12th in the Regular Season behind a 15-19 record, two games shy of a berth in the Play-In Showdown. At the domestic level, he helped his side win the LBA UnipolSai and was crowned league champion in Italy for the fourth time in his career.