Nemanja Bjelica facts for kids
_(cropped).jpg)
Bjelica with Fenerbahçe Beko in 2022.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bahçeşehir Koleji | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head of Basketball Operations | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 9 May 1988 Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Serbian | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 234 lb (106 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2010 / Round: 2 / Pick: 35th overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Washington Wizards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2007–2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Traiskirchen Lions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Crvena zvezda | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2013 | Baskonia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Fenerbahçe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2018 | Minnesota Timberwolves | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2021 | Sacramento Kings | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Miami Heat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Golden State Warriors | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Fenerbahçe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Crvena zvezda | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medals
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nemanja Bjelica (born May 9, 1988) is a Serbian former professional basketball player. He recently became the head of basketball operations for Bahçeşehir Koleji. Nemanja played for the Serbian national team in many international games.
He was named the Euroleague MVP in 2015, which means he was the best player in the EuroLeague that season. He also won an NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2022. Nemanja started his NBA journey in 2015 when he was 27 years old.
Contents
Nemanja Bjelica's Basketball Journey
Early Career in Europe
Starting in Austria
Nemanja Bjelica began his basketball journey at a special school called Aca Janjić. He later joined the youth team of KK Partizan. His professional career started in the 2007–08 season. He played for the Arkadia Traiskirchen Lions in Austria. During this time, he scored about 8.5 points per game.
Playing for Red Star
After playing in Austria, Nemanja returned to Serbia. He joined the team Crvena zvezda for two successful seasons. His coach, Svetislav Pešić, helped him a lot. Coach Pešić trusted Nemanja to handle the ball, even though he was tall. This helped Nemanja become a great playmaker.
In 2010, Nemanja was chosen by the Washington Wizards in the NBA draft. He was the 35th player picked overall. His draft rights were later traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Time in Spain with Baskonia
In August 2010, Nemanja signed a five-year contract with the Spanish club Saski Baskonia. In his first season, he didn't play much. But in his third and final season with Baskonia, he played very well. He averaged 9.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
Becoming an MVP in Turkey
On July 22, 2013, Nemanja joined the Turkish team Fenerbahçe Ülker. He chose this team because of their famous coach, Željko Obradović. Nemanja quickly became a key player for Fenerbahçe.
In the 2014–15 season, Nemanja played even better. He was named the EuroLeague MVP of the Month in March 2015. Later, he was chosen for the All-EuroLeague First Team. He was then named the EuroLeague MVP for the entire season! Fenerbahçe also reached the EuroLeague Final Four for the first time ever. Nemanja had his best season, averaging 12.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
On July 1, 2015, Nemanja decided to leave Fenerbahçe to play in the NBA.
NBA Adventure
Joining the Minnesota Timberwolves
On July 14, 2015, Nemanja Bjelica signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played his first NBA game on October 28, 2015. He scored 8 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in a win against the Los Angeles Lakers. On November 13, 2016, he started his first NBA game. He scored a career-high 24 points against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Nemanja had a foot injury in March 2017 and missed the rest of that season. He also missed 15 games in the 2017–18 season due to another foot injury. On March 8, 2018, he scored a career-high 30 points against the Boston Celtics. He also had 12 rebounds in that game.
Playing for the Sacramento Kings
On July 21, 2018, Nemanja signed a three-year contract with the Sacramento Kings. In his first season, he averaged 9.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
The 2019–20 NBA season was his best NBA season. He averaged 11.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists over 72 games. The season was paused in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Kings did not make it to the playoffs that year.
Short Stint with the Miami Heat
On March 25, 2021, Nemanja was traded to the Miami Heat. He played 11 games for them.
Winning a Championship with the Golden State Warriors
On August 6, 2021, Nemanja signed with the Golden State Warriors. He played his first game for them on October 19, 2021. He scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, helping the Warriors win.
During the 2022 NBA Finals, Nemanja played an important role. He helped his team win their first NBA championship! He became the fourth NBA player from Serbia to win an NBA title.
Back to Europe and Retirement
Return to Fenerbahçe
On August 9, 2022, Nemanja signed a two-year deal to return to Fenerbahçe Beko. This was the team where he had been named the EuroLeague MVP in 2015. He made his season debut on March 3, 2023, after missing many games due to a calf injury.
On September 12, 2023, Fenerbahçe released Nemanja from his contract.
Final Stop at Red Star
After leaving Fenerbahçe, Nemanja signed a contract with Crvena zvezda, his hometown team. However, it was announced on October 9, 2023, that he had left the team. This happened after he faced challenges with the team's coach.
Saying Goodbye to Playing
On March 23, 2024, Nemanja Bjelica officially announced that he was retiring from playing professional basketball.
Playing for His Country
Nemanja Bjelica played for the senior Serbian national basketball team. He helped them win a silver medal at the EuroBasket 2009. He also played in the 2010 FIBA World Championship.
At the EuroBasket 2013, Nemanja became one of the team's leaders. He averaged 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. He also helped the Serbian team win a silver medal at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. He was a very important player, helping with ball handling, passing, rebounding, and scoring.
Nemanja also played in the EuroBasket 2015. In their first game, he was a key player, scoring 24 points and grabbing 10 rebounds against Spain. He even made a game-winning shot against Germany! Serbia played very well in the tournament, but they lost in the semifinals and finished in fourth place. Nemanja averaged 13.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.
At the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Serbia was expected to win. However, they lost in the quarterfinals. Nemanja was one of the team's top players, averaging 10.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.
What's Next?
New Role at Bahçeşehir Koleji
In April 2024, Bahçeşehir Koleji announced that Nemanja Bjelica would be their new head of basketball operations. This means he will help manage the basketball team for the 2024–25 season.
Awards and Accomplishments
- Club
- NBA champion: 2022
- 2014–15 EuroLeague Final Four with Fenerbahçe
- Zadar Basketball Tournament: 2014, 2015
- Turkish Basketball League: 2013–14
- Turkish President's Cup: 2013
- Individual
- 2015 EuroLeague MVP
- 2015 Serbian Player of the Year
- 2015 All-EuroLeague First Team
- 2015 All-EuroLeague Forward of the Year
- 2015 March Euroleague MVP of the Month with Fenerbahçe
- 2010 All-Serbian League First Team
- 2009 Best Athlete of SD Crvena Zvezda
Career Statistics
NBA
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | Minnesota | 60 | 0 | 17.9 | .468 | .384 | .727 | 3.5 | 1.4 | .4 | .4 | 5.1 |
| 2016–17 | Minnesota | 65 | 1 | 18.3 | .424 | .316 | .738 | 3.8 | 1.2 | .6 | .3 | 6.2 |
| 2017–18 | Minnesota | 67 | 21 | 20.5 | .461 | .415 | .800 | 4.1 | 1.3 | .7 | .2 | 6.8 |
| 2018–19 | Sacramento | 77 | 70 | 23.2 | .479 | .401 | .761 | 5.8 | 1.9 | .7 | .7 | 9.6 |
| 2019–20 | Sacramento | 72 | 67 | 27.9 | .481 | .419 | .821 | 6.4 | 2.8 | .9 | .6 | 11.5 |
| 2020–21 | Sacramento | 26 | 1 | 16.9 | .460 | .293 | .762 | 3.8 | 1.9 | .3 | .1 | 7.2 |
| Miami | 11 | 2 | 14.2 | .435 | .370 | .556 | 2.5 | 1.8 | .6 | .3 | 5.0 | |
| 2021–22† | Golden State | 71 | 0 | 16.1 | .468 | .362 | .728 | 4.1 | 2.2 | .6 | .4 | 6.1 |
| Career | 449 | 162 | 20.4 | .466 | .384 | .759 | 4.6 | 1.8 | .6 | .4 | 7.6 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Minnesota | 5 | 0 | 9.4 | .438 | .517 | .714 | 3.0 | .6 | .6 | .0 | 4.6 |
| 2021 | Miami | 2 | 0 | 15.0 | .455 | .500 | .667 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | .5 | 9.0 |
| 2022† | Golden State | 15 | 0 | 10.0 | .529 | .375 | .571 | 2.1 | 1.1 | .3 | .1 | 2.9 |
| Career | 22 | 0 | 10.3 | .492 | .478 | .650 | 2.3 | 1.0 | .4 | .1 | 3.8 | |
EuroLeague
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | Baskonia | 13 | 2 | 9.0 | .250 | .222 | .500 | 1.7 | .5 | .2 | — | 1.2 | 0.5 |
| 2011–12 | 10 | 5 | 13.9 | .563 | .474 | .750 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 1.3 | .3 | 4.8 | 6.2 | |
| 2012–13 | 26 | 9 | 23.1 | .459 | .310 | .741 | 4.8 | 1.3 | 1.0 | .3 | 9.9 | 10.1 | |
| 2013–14 | Fenerbahçe | 24 | 18 | 25.1 | .474 | .416 | .846 | 6.1 | 2.2 | 1.0 | .4 | 10.4 | 13.6 |
| 2014–15 | 29 | 20 | 27.8 | .500 | .351 | .684 | 8.5 | 1.9 | 1.3 | .7 | 12.1 | 18.3 | |
| 2022–23 | 7 | 0 | 8.4 | .400 | .167 | .400 | 2.1 | .9 | .3 | .1 | 2.7 | 3.1 | |
| Career | 109 | 54 | 21.3 | .474 | .355 | .713 | 5.3 | 1.5 | 1.0 | .4 | 8.6 | 11.1 | |
Personal life
Nemanja Bjelica grew up in the New Belgrade Blocks area. He got married in June 2012 and has a daughter.
See also
In Spanish: Nemanja Bjelica para niños
- List of European basketball players in the United States
- List of KK Crvena zvezda players with 100 games played
- List of Serbian NBA players
