By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Putting a temporary end to chasing a stable NBA contract, Luka Samanic decided to return to the Old Continent to make his debut in the EuroLeague; the 19th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft will be coached by Sarunas Jasikevicius in Fenerbahce.
For at least one season, the 24-year-old power forward will play EuroLeague and Turkish League basketball. According to Eurohoops sources, there were discussions regarding an option for a following year included in the deal, but that didn’t turn into reality.
Luka Samanic is coming off five seasons between the NBA and G-League in which he also played for the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. In the 2023-24 NBA regular season, he averaged 4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds over 43 appearances with 9.4 minutes per game as part of the Utah Jazz.
He last played in Europe during the 2018-19 Basketball Champions League season, averaging 8.2 points and 5.0 rebounds with Petrol Olimpija. Previously, he grew up in Barcelona’s youth system, playing with Barcelona B in the 2017-18 campaign.
The Croatian son of art – his dad is Marko Samanic, a former EuroLeague player – is the latest signing made by Fenerbahce in this year’s summer transfer market, following the list of Wade Baldwin IV, Bonzie Colson, Nicolò Melli, Devon Hall, and others.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
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