The Croatian spent the last five years in the United States
Luka Samanic leaves Fenerbahce
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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul has confirmed that it has reached an agreement with Luka Samanic to rescind his contract.
Samanic (2.08 meters, 24 years old) signed a two-year deal at Fenerbahce on August 5, 2024, after spending the last four seasons in the NBA, but the club brought the Croatian's short spell at the club to an end on September 13.
As Fenerbahce confirmed in a statement on Twitter: 'We have parted ways by mutual consent with our player Luka Samanic, who has been in his country for a while due to personal reasons. The athlete's relevant process will continue to be followed by our branch officials and the player's rights will remain reserved in our club throughout the 2024/2025 season. We would like to thank Luka Samanic for his contributions to our team in a short time."
Samanic spent last season with the Utah Jazz, where he averaged 4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per night across 43 appearances in the NBA. That 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. Following the mutual termination of his contract at Fenerbahce, however, he is now a free agent.