He returned to his country! Fenerbahçe Beko is parting ways with new transfer Luka Samanic.

The new transfer Luka Samanic, who joined Fenerbahçe Beko in August, may part ways with the team. The Croatian basketball player has some health problems and his condition is being closely monitored.

PERMISSION TO RETURN TO HIS COUNTRY

An official statement has been made regarding the new transfer Luka Samanic, who is rumored to leave Fenerbahçe Beko. The yellow-navy club announced that Samanic has gone to his country due to personal reasons with the permission of the club. The statement said, "Our player Luka Samanic has gone to his country on Friday, September 6th, with the permission of our club due to personal reasons. The process is closely monitored by our branch officials, and necessary information regarding the condition of our player will be provided in the coming days."

IF THEY PART WAYS, THERE IS A CANDIDATE

If Samanic leaves Fenerbahçe Beko, it may be considered to bring in a new player. The yellow-navy team has put Khem Birch, who last played for the Spanish team Girona, at the top of their list as a replacement for Samanic.

WHO IS SAMANIC?

Born on January 9, 2000, in Zagreb, the 2.08-meter-tall player can play in the power forward and center positions. Starting basketball in his country, Samanic attracted attention as a significant talent in the youth categories. In the summer of 2016, he signed with Barcelona and joined the Catalan team's youth organization.

Spending the 2016-17 season with Barcelona and despite the interest of NCAA programs, Samanic stayed with Barcelona in the 2017-18 season as well. He made a name for himself especially with his performance in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament L'Hospitalet leg. In the final match where Barcelona lost to Joventut Badalona, Samanic shone with 27 points, 16 rebounds, and 3 blocks. He was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the tournament with an average of 23.2 points, 14.8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2.8 blocks. The Croatian player also gained experience in the Leb Gold League with Barcelona's pilot team during this season.

In the summer of 2018, Samanic made an important decision and transferred to Petrol Olimpija, a team in the Slovenian League. He gained experience in the Adriatic League, Slovenian League, and FIBA Champions League with this team. Our successful player played 12 games in the Champions League, despite being only 18 years old, and averaged 8.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 0.9 assists.

Participating in the NBA Draft in the summer of 2019, Luka was selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round, 19th overall.

Starting his NBA career with the Spurs in the 2019-20 season, Samanic signed contracts with NBA teams such as San Antonio, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, and Utah Jazz until the summer of 2024. He also played for Austin Spurs, Westchester Knicks, and Maine Celtics in the G League.

Luka Samanic has played a total of 86 games in his NBA career and has averaged 4.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.6 assists. Samanic played 43 games with the Utah Jazz in the past NBA season and averaged 4.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.4 assists. Samanic had his best game on April 12, 2024, against the Houston Rockets in the 2023-24 season, where he produced 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists.

Our successful forward was also selected to the Second Team in the NBA G League in the 2022-23 season with the Maine Celtics. Samanic averaged 22.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.9 blocks, and 0.9 steals with his team in this season.

While serving successfully in the youth national team of his country, especially in the B Category European Championship won in Estonia in 2017, Samanic played a major role. He was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the tournament with an average of 17.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists.