Mirza Teletović facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mirza Teletović
Teletović with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2016
President of the Basketball Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
In office October 20, 2018 – June 8, 2022
Preceded by	Sejo Bukva
Succeeded by	Boris Spasojević
Personal details
Born	(1985-09-18) September 18, 1985 (age 39) Jablanica, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia
Nationality	Bosnian
Mirza Teletović Power forward Personal information Listed height 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) Listed weight 242 lb (110 kg) Career information NBA Draft 2007 / Undrafted Pro career 2002–2021 Career history 2002–2004 Sloboda Tuzla 2004–2006 Telindus Oostende 2006–2012 Saski Baskonia 2012–2015 Brooklyn Nets 2015–2016 Phoenix Suns 2016–2018 Milwaukee Bucks 2021 KK Turbina Career highlights and awards Belgian League champion (2006) 2× Liga ACB champion (2008, 2010) Spanish Cup winner (2009) 3× Spanish Supercup winner (2006–2008) Liga ACB Rising Star (2008) All-Liga ACB First Team (2012) Spanish Cup MVP (2009) Bosnia and Herzegovina Sportsperson of the Year (2012)

Mirza Teletović (born September 18, 1985) is a famous former professional basketball player from Bosnia. He was also the president of the Basketball Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2018 to 2022. As a player, he spent six seasons playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the United States. He also led and was the captain of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national basketball team. Standing tall at 6 feet 9 inches, he played as a power forward.

Mirza Teletović started his basketball journey in Bosnia with Sloboda Tuzla. After that, he played in Belgium for Oostende. He then spent six years with Saski Baskonia in Spain, where he helped them win two Liga ACB championships. In 2012, he was even named to the All-ACB Team, which means he was one of the best players in the Spanish league. Later, he played five seasons in the NBA for teams like the Brooklyn Nets, Phoenix Suns, and Milwaukee Bucks. On September 27, 2018, Teletović announced he was retiring from basketball. This was because of a serious health issue involving blood clots that ended his playing career while he was with the Bucks.

Mirza Teletović's Early Life

Mirza Teletović grew up in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Bosnian War in the 1990s. His parents are from Jablanica. He spent his childhood in Mostar, a city that faced a long siege (being surrounded and attacked) when he was a young boy.

Mirza shared what it was like during the war:

• "I was seven years old when the war began.
• First, you noticed there was no food.
• Then, grenades started falling, making the whole city shake.
• You could hear people screaming.
• Every day, your parents would tell you that a neighbor or a cousin had died.
• It felt like someone was always dying.
• One day, I asked my mother, 'Is anyone still alive?'
• It was a very, very difficult time for us.
• It left a lasting memory.
• My friends and I would be playing basketball.
• Then, we would hear sirens, meaning grenades were falling.
• We would run home and hide.
• I thought, 'If I have to die, I die.'
• For basketball, I would do anything."

As a young person, Teletović also played soccer. He even learned kickboxing and karate. But he felt most at home playing basketball on a local court near his house.

Mirza Teletović's Professional Basketball Career

Playing in Europe

Sloboda Tuzla (2002–2004)

Mirza Teletović started his professional basketball career with Sloboda Tuzla in Bosnia. This was during the 2002–03 season. In his first year, he scored about 7.2 points and grabbed 2.7 rebounds per game. In his second season, his performance greatly improved. He averaged 26.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game over 17 games.

Telindus Oostende (2004–2006)

In 2004, Teletović moved to Belgium to play for Telindus Oostende in the Belgian Basketball League. He stayed there for two seasons. During this time, he also played in the ULEB Cup, which is a big European competition. He averaged 6.7 points and 2 rebounds in those games.

Saski Baskonia (2006–2012)

In 2006, Mirza joined Saski Baskonia, a top team in the Spanish ACB League and the EuroLeague. The EuroLeague is the highest level of club basketball in Europe. He played his first game in the Spanish League on October 1, 2006. His team won a close game against Pamesa, 95–94. In his first EuroLeague season, he averaged 5.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. He put his name in for the 2007 NBA draft, but no NBA team picked him.

Over the next three seasons, he became a regular starter for Baskonia. He even became the captain of the team. In 2008, he won the ACB Rising Star Award, given to the best young player in the Spanish League. A year later, in 2009, he was named the MVP of the Spanish King's Cup tournament.

In the 2011–12 Euroleague season, he had his best performance. He averaged 21.7 points and 6 rebounds per game over 10 games. However, his team did not make it to the next round of the tournament. In June 2012, Teletović paid €2 million to end his contract with Baskonia. This allowed him to move to the NBA in the United States.

Playing in the NBA

Brooklyn Nets (2012–2015)

Teletović playing for the Nets in March 2013

On July 16, 2012, Teletović signed a three-year contract with the Brooklyn Nets. He played his first NBA game on November 5, 2012, against the Minnesota Timberwolves. On March 1, 2013, his coach said he planned to give Teletović more playing time. He scored a season-high 14 points against the Washington Wizards on April 15. He played in only one playoff game that season. The Nets lost their first-round series to the Chicago Bulls.

On November 29, 2013, Teletović achieved his first "double-double" (scoring double digits in two categories). He had 18 points and 13 rebounds against the Houston Rockets. On January 24, 2014, he scored a career-high 34 points in a close 107–106 win over the Dallas Mavericks. On February 2, 2014, he had another double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds against the New Orleans Pelicans.

On December 3, 2014, Teletović scored a season-high 26 points. He also grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds in a 95–93 overtime win against the San Antonio Spurs. On January 23, 2015, he was told he could not play for the rest of the 2014–15 season. This was because he was diagnosed with blood clots in both of his lungs. However, he returned earlier than expected on April 22. He played four minutes and got two rebounds in a playoff game against the Atlanta Hawks. The Nets lost that series.

On June 18, 2015, the Nets offered Teletović a contract worth $4.21 million. This would have made him a "restricted free agent," meaning the Nets could match any other team's offer. But on July 9, the Nets took back their offer, and he left the team.

Phoenix Suns (2015–2016)

On July 17, 2015, Teletović signed a one-year contract worth $5.5 million with the Phoenix Suns. He played his first game for the Suns on October 28. He scored 5 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks. On November 29, he scored a season-high 20 points coming off the bench. This helped the Suns win 107–102 against the Toronto Raptors. He matched this score on December 7, again scoring 20 points. He made a winning shot with only 0.3 seconds left, helping the Suns come back from 16 points down to beat the Chicago Bulls 103–101.

On December 16, he scored even more, getting a team-high 24 points in a game against the Golden State Warriors. On January 12, 2016, he scored double figures for a career-best sixth game in a row. He had 19 points in a loss to the Indiana Pacers. On February 19, he scored a season-high 25 points in a loss to the Houston Rockets. Six days later, he topped that with 30 points against his old team, the Brooklyn Nets.

On March 23, in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Teletović set a new record for the Suns. He made the most three-pointers coming off the bench in a single season. He passed Danny Ainge's record from the 1992–93 season. On April 5, in a game against the Atlanta Hawks, Teletović set an NBA record. He made the most three-pointers coming off the bench in a single season in the entire league. He passed Chuck Person's record from the 1994–95 season. His record was later broken by Eric Gordon the next season. Teletović finished the season with 181 three-pointers, with 179 of them made while coming off the bench.

Milwaukee Bucks (2016–2018)

On July 8, 2016, Teletović signed a three-year contract worth $30 million with the Milwaukee Bucks. On November 5, 2016, he scored 22 points and matched his career high with seven three-pointers. This helped the Bucks win 117–91 against the Sacramento Kings. Teletović started playing more when Michael Beasley got a knee injury in February 2017. However, Teletović himself got a slight hamstring injury in March 2017. He quickly returned and continued to play more minutes.

Teletović played in the first 10 games of the 2017–18 season for the Bucks. But on November 21, he had to stop playing for about four weeks. He had surgery on his left knee to fix some cartilage. On December 14, 2017, he was sidelined even longer. This was because he had pulmonary emboli (blood clots) in both of his lungs again. Doctors found his condition when he felt unusually tired and talked to the Bucks' team doctors. On March 10, 2018, the Bucks released him from his contract. On December 21, 2018, the NBA agreed to remove Teletović's salary from the Bucks' financial records. This was because his injury ended his career.

Retirement and Comeback

On September 27, 2018, Mirza Teletović officially announced his retirement from basketball. He also said he would start working for the Basketball Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, in 2021, he decided to play again for a local team called KK Turbina.

Mirza Teletović's National Team Career

Mirza Teletović played for the national basketball team of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He played in several big European tournaments called EuroBasket. These included EuroBasket 2003, EuroBasket 2005, EuroBasket 2011, and EuroBasket 2013.

In the EuroBasket 2011 tournament, he averaged 13.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. But Bosnia and Herzegovina finished in 17th place out of 24 teams. In the EuroBasket 2013 qualification games, Teletović was a star player. He averaged 24.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. He helped Bosnia and Herzegovina finish first in their group. During the main tournament, Teletović averaged 21.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Both of these were his best numbers ever at the EuroBasket. Even with his great play, Bosnia and Herzegovina did not move on to the next round, finishing 13th. In the EuroBasket 2017 qualification games, he averaged 17.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.

Career Statistics

NBA Regular Season Stats

NBA Playoff Stats

EuroLeague Stats

Mirza Teletović's Personal Life

Mirza Teletović is from the Bosniak ethnic group. He is married to Maja, and they have four children together.

Awards and Accomplishments

Club Achievements

• Belgian Basketball League Champion: (2006)
• 3× Spanish Supercup Winner: (2006, 2007, 2008)
• 2× Spanish ACB League Champion: (2008, 2010)
• 2× EuroLeague Final Four Participant: (2007, 2008)
• Spanish King's Cup Winner: (2009)

Individual Awards

• ACB Rising Star Award: (2008)
• Spanish King's Cup MVP: (2009)
• All-ACB Team: (2012)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina Sportsperson of the Year (2012)

NBA Record

• Most three-pointers made while coming off the bench in a single season (179): (2016)
  • This record was broken by Eric Gordon the next season.

Images for kids

• 

  Teletović with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2016

• 

  Teletović playing for the Nets in March 2013

See also

In Spanish: Mirza Teletović para niños

• List of European basketball players in the United States