The Croatian has spent the last five years in the United States
Fenerbahce brings big Luka Samanic aboard
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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul has announced the signing of Luka Samanic on a two year deal. Samanic (2.08 meters, 24 years old) joins the club from the Utah Jazz, where he averaged 4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per night across 43 appearances in the NBA last season. It was his second campaign with the Jazz.
The Croatian power forward returns to Europe after spending the last five years in the United States. He began his professional career with FC Barcelona B in the 2017-18 season and went on to play for Petrol Olimpija in 2018-19 before heading stateside.
Samanic’s first two years in the NBA were with the San Antonio Spurs, having been selected by the five-time NBA champion with the 19th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
He played just three games for the Spurs in the 2019-20 campaign, posting 5.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Then, the 2020-21 season saw Samanic average 3.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in 33 appearances.
Across those two seasons in San Antonio, he also played for the team’s G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs. The 24-year-old went on to feature in the G League for the Westchester Knicks in 2021-22 and the Maine Celtics in 2022-23.
Samanic had his best NBA statistics in 2022-23, which was his first with the Jazz. He posted 9.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in seven games. Then, he had one more campaign with Utah before opting to return to Europe with Fenerbahce this summer.