By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Besiktas has issued a formal statement responding to television pundit Ibrahim Kutluay after his controversial comments about the team’s newcomer, Lonnie Walker IV.
The dispute began shortly after the EuroLeague participant announced the arrival of the 27-year-old guard on Thursday morning. On Turkish sports brand NOW Spor, 51-year-old Kutluay questioned the quick timeline. Noting that agent Misko Raznatovic had tweeted that Walker was on the Denver Nuggets roster just days earlier, he then pointed out that both Besiktas head coach Dusan Alimpijevic and Raznatovic are Serbian, insinuating that personal connections overrode objective criteria.
The Istanbul outfit reacted with fury. In their press release, they condemned the former player for ‘making an ugly accusation regarding the transfer process’. Management stated that Kutluay had ‘far exceeded the boundaries of commentary with this baseless claim’. They argued it was unacceptable for a media representative to ‘cast a shadow over the transfer to our club of one of Europe’s most accomplished players’. Besiktas challenged him to present concrete evidence or issue a public apology. If Kutluay refuses, the board warned they will ‘initiate proceedings with the EuroLeague management to ensure that appropriate sanctions are imposed’.
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🔗 https://t.co/PZw6MHIseP https://t.co/DPMJuJqV8t
— Beşiktaş Basketbol (@BJK_Basketbol) October 15, 2026
This off-court drama comes at a critical time for the squad. Alimpijevic’s team currently holds a 2–3 continental record, sitting just outside the EuroLeague Play-In Showdown bubble. Besiktas faces a test Friday when they host FC Bayern Munich at the Turkcell Basketball Development Center for a Round 6 matchup. Domestically, they have struggled to a 1–2 start.
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