Tribute to the Champs: Arturs Zagars

The Latvian point guard stepped up during the team’s injury crisis

After recovering from a knee injury that kept him out for most of the 2023-24 season, Arturs Zagars bounced back in his first year with Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul by becoming a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion.

Fenerbahce signed Zagars in the summer of 2023 but decided a loan move to Wolves Vilnius would help his development. However, after just one BKT EuroCup appearance for the Lithuanian side, his season was over. He then worked on his rehabilitation in order to be ready for his first campaign with Fenerbahce.

The 25-year-old had a highlight moment in Round 2 by netting a late three-pointer against domestic rival Anadolu Efes Istanbul that all but secured a road win for Fenerbahce, while he became a crucial member of coach Saras Jasikevicius’s squad once the injuries started to mount up. Zagars continued to impact games, mostly off the bench, until the end of the regular season, finishing with averages of 5.9 points, 1.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 14:54 minutes across 22 games.

Although Zagars did not feature for Fenerbahce in the postseason, be that the playoffs or the Final Four, his performances in the regular season played an important role in helping the team lock up the second seed, which proved key as Coach Jasikevicius’s men brought a second EuroLeague title to the club.