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 is now the head of basketball operations for Bahçeşehir Koleji. Bjelica played for the Serbian national team in many international games. He was named the Euroleague MVP in 2015, which means he was the most valuable player in the EuroLeague. He also made the All-EuroLeague First Team that year.
Bjelica started his NBA career in 2015 when he was 27 years old. He played for the Minnesota Timberwolves for three seasons. Later, he joined the Sacramento Kings and then the Miami Heat. In 2021, he signed with the Golden State Warriors. With the Warriors, he helped them win an NBA championship in 2022. He officially retired from playing basketball on March 23, 2024.
Contents
Professional Career Highlights
Nemanja Bjelica started his basketball journey at a special school called Aca Janjić. He then joined the youth team of KK Partizan. His professional career began in the 2007–08 season with the Arkadia Traiskirchen Lions in Austria. He scored about 8.5 points per game in 26 games.
Playing for Crvena zvezda (2008–2010)
After playing in Austria, Bjelica returned to Serbia to play for Crvena zvezda. He had two successful seasons there. During the 2008–09 season, he became a key player and earned a spot in the starting lineup. He was especially good at shooting from outside the three-point line during the EuroCup. Bjelica often said that his coach, Svetislav Pešić, helped him improve a lot. Coach Pešić even let Bjelica, who is 6 feet 10 inches tall, handle the ball and make plays, which helped him become a better all-around player.
In 2010, Bjelica was picked by the Washington Wizards in the NBA draft. He was the 35th player chosen overall. His draft rights were then traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Time with Saski Baskonia (2010–2013)
In August 2010, Bjelica signed a five-year contract with the Spanish club Saski Baskonia. In his first year, he didn't play much, averaging only 9 minutes per game. In his second season, he played more and averaged 4.8 points per game. He shot very well, making 56% of his shots from the field and 47% from three-point range. His third and final season with Baskonia was his best. He played in 26 games, averaging 9.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game.
Success with Fenerbahçe (2013–2015)
On July 22, 2013, Bjelica signed a three-year deal with the Turkish team Fenerbahçe Ülker. This team was coached by Željko Obradović, one of Europe's best coaches. Bjelica said that Obradović was the main reason he chose to play in Europe instead of going to the NBA right away. In the 2013–14 season, he quickly became one of Fenerbahçe's most important players. He averaged 10.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 24 EuroLeague games.
The next season, Bjelica played even better. In March 2015, he was named the EuroLeague MVP of the Month. He averaged 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists in those four games. In May 2015, he was chosen for the All-EuroLeague First Team because of his great performance all season. Later, Bjelica was named the EuroLeague MVP for the entire season. Fenerbahçe also reached the EuroLeague Final Four for the first time in their history. However, they lost in the semifinal game and finished in 4th place. Bjelica had his best season, averaging 12.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. On July 1, 2015, Bjelica decided to leave Fenerbahçe to play in the NBA.
NBA Journey: Minnesota Timberwolves (2015–2018)
On July 14, 2015, Bjelica signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played his first game for the Timberwolves on October 28, 2015. He scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds in a close win against the Los Angeles Lakers. On November 7, 2015, he had a great game with 17 points and 11 rebounds against the Chicago Bulls.
On November 13, 2016, Bjelica started his first NBA game and scored a career-high 24 points in a big win over the Los Angeles Lakers. In March 2017, he had to stop playing for the rest of the season because of a foot injury. He had surgery to fix a broken bone in his left foot.
Bjelica missed 15 games in late 2017 due to a sprained left foot. On March 8, 2018, he scored a career-high 30 points against the Boston Celtics. He also had 12 rebounds, which was his first time getting at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in an NBA game.
Sacramento Kings (2018–2021)
On July 21, 2018, Bjelica signed a three-year contract with the Sacramento Kings. In his first season with the Kings, he averaged 9.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
The 2019–20 NBA season was Bjelica's best season in the NBA. He averaged 11.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists over 72 games. The season was paused in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sacramento Kings were invited to play in the special "NBA Bubble" but did not make it to the playoffs.
Miami Heat (2021)
On March 25, 2021, Bjelica was traded to the Miami Heat.
Golden State Warriors (2021–2022): NBA Champion!
On August 6, 2021, Bjelica signed with the Golden State Warriors. He played his first game for the Warriors on October 19, 2021. He scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, coming off the bench, in a win against the Los Angeles Lakers. He was the first player in a long time to get a "double-double" (double-digit points and rebounds) off the bench in his Warriors debut. During the 2022 NBA Finals, Bjelica played an important role in helping the Warriors win their first NBA championship. He became the fourth Serbian NBA player to win a championship.
Return to Fenerbahçe (2022–2023)
On August 9, 2022, Bjelica signed a two-year deal to return to Fenerbahçe Beko. This was the team where he had been named the EuroLeague MVP in 2015. Bjelica made his season debut on March 3, 2023, after missing much of the season due to a calf injury.
On September 12, 2023, Fenerbahçe released Bjelica from his contract. Hours later, Bjelica signed a contract with Crvena zvezda, his hometown team. On March 23, 2024, Bjelica officially announced that he was retiring from professional basketball.
National Team Career
Bjelica played for the senior Serbian national basketball team. He won a silver medal at the EuroBasket 2009. He was also part of the Serbian national team at the 2010 FIBA World Championship. Serbia finished fourth in that tournament. He also played for Serbia at the EuroBasket 2011.
During EuroBasket 2013, Bjelica became one of the experienced players on a young Serbian team. He helped lead the team alongside captain Nenad Krstić. Serbia lost in the quarterfinals but showed some strong performances. Bjelica averaged 10 points and 7 rebounds per game during the tournament.
He also won a silver medal with the Serbian national team at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Even though his three-point shooting wasn't perfect, he was a very important player. He helped the team with his ball-handling, passing, rebounding, and scoring. He finished the tournament averaging 11.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game.
Bjelica was also a member of the team that played at the EuroBasket 2015. In their first game, a win against Spain, he was a key player with 24 points and 10 rebounds. The next day, he made a game-winning shot against Germany. Serbia played very well in their group, winning all five games. They made it to the semifinals but lost to Lithuania. They then lost the bronze-medal game to France. Bjelica was one of the team's leaders, averaging 13.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.
At the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Serbia was expected to win the trophy. However, they were upset in the quarterfinals by Argentina. Serbia finished in fifth place. Bjelica was one of the top players on the team, averaging 10.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists over 7 games.
Post-playing Career
Bahçeşehir Koleji
In April 2024, Bahçeşehir Koleji announced that Bjelica would be their new head of basketball operations for the 2024–25 season. This means he helps manage the basketball team from behind the scenes.
Awards and Accomplishments
- Club
- NBA champion: 2022 (with Golden State Warriors)
- 2014–15 EuroLeague Final Four (with Fenerbahçe)
- Zadar Basketball Tournament winner: 2014, 2015
- Turkish Basketball League champion: 2013–14
- Turkish President's Cup winner: 2013
- Individual
- 2015 EuroLeague MVP (Most Valuable Player)
- 2015 Serbian Basketball 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
See also
- List of European basketball players in the United States
- List of KK Crvena zvezda players with 100 games played
- List of Serbian NBA players
