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Nemanja Bjelica

September 22, 2023

Nemanja Bjelica (Serbian Cyrillic: Немања Бјелица, pronounced [němaɲa bjělitsa]; born 9 May 1988) is a Serbian professional basketball player for Crvena zvezda of the Serbian KLS, the Adriatic League and the EuroLeague. He also represents the senior Serbian national basketball team internationally. Bjelica was an All-Euroleague First Team selection as well as the Euroleague MVP in 2015. Bjelica started his NBA career as a 27-year-old rookie when he signed in 2015 and played for the Minnesota Timberwolves for three seasons before signing with the Sacramento Kings in the 2018 offseason. In 2021, he was traded to the Miami Heat before signing with the Golden State Warriors during the offseason. With the Warriors, he won an NBA championship in 2022.

Nemanja Bjelica
Bjelica with Fenerbahçe Beko in 2022.
No. 88 – Crvena zvezda Meridianbet
PositionPower forward
LeagueBasketball League of Serbia
ABA League
EuroLeague
Personal information
Born (1988-05-09) 9 May 1988 (age 35)
Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
NationalitySerbian
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight234 lb (106 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2010: 2nd round, 35th overall pick
Selected by the Washington Wizards
Playing career2007–present
Career history
2007–2008Traiskirchen Lions
2008–2010Crvena zvezda
2010–2013Baskonia
2013–2015Fenerbahçe
2015–2018Minnesota Timberwolves
2018–2021Sacramento Kings
2021Miami Heat
2021–2022Golden State Warriors
2022–2023Fenerbahçe
2023–presentCrvena zvezda
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Bjelica with Serbia in August 2015.

Professional career Edit

 
Bjelica playing for Red Star.

Arkadia Traiskirchen (2007–2008) Edit

Bjelica began playing basketball at Aca Janjić basketball school, before joining the youth system of KK Partizan.[1] He began his professional career in the 2007–08 season with the Arkadia Traiskirchen Lions of the Austrian League, averaging 8.5 points in 26 games.[2]

Crvena zvezda (2008–2010) Edit

After one season abroad, he returned to the Serbian team Crvena zvezda, and spent two successful seasons there, under head coach Svetislav Pešić. During the 2008–09 season, he made breakthroughs, and earned a place in the first lineup. He was particularly noted for his performance during the EuroCup, for his outside shooting. Later in his career, Bjelica cited coach Pešić as one of the main reasons for his improvement as a player.[3] Coach Pešić trusted Bjelica with the ball, and gave the 6"10 Bjelica a primary ball handler role on several occasions, which helped to develop Bjelica as a play-maker.

Bjelica was drafted by the Washington Wizards with the 35th pick of the 2010 NBA draft. His draft rights were then traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.[4]

Saski Baskonia (2010–2013) Edit

In August 2010, Bjelica signed a five-year contract with Spanish club Saski Baskonia.[5] In his first season with the club, he didn't get much playing time, averaging only 9 minutes played per game. In his second season with Baskonia, he averaged 4.8 points per game, on 56% shooting from the field, and 47% shooting from 3 point range, three in 13 minutes played per game. His third and last season with the club was the most successful, as he played in 26 games, with the averages of 9.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1 steal per game, on 46% shooting from the field.

Fenerbahçe (2013–2015) Edit

On 22 July 2013, Bjelica signed a three-year deal with the Turkish team Fenerbahçe Ülker, which was led by one of Europe's great coaches, Željko Obradović.[6][7] He cited Obradović as the main reason why he didn't go to the NBA instead.[8] In the 2013–14 season, he immediately became one of the key Fenerbahçe Ülker players, averaging career highs of 10.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.6 steals per game over 24 EuroLeague games.

The following season, Bjelica's game saw its most improvement and consistency. On 30 March 2015, he was named the EuroLeague MVP of the Month for March, his first such monthly award in his career. Over 4 games played in March, he averaged 15 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block per game.[9] In May 2015, he was chosen to the All-EuroLeague First Team, for his performances over the season.[10] Eventually, Bjelica was named the EuroLeague MVP of the season.[11] Fenerbahçe also advanced to the EuroLeague Final Four for the first time in the team's history.[12] On 15 May 2015, however, they lost in the semifinal game to Real Madrid, by a score of 87–96.[13] Eventually, Fenerbahçe finished in 4th place, after losing in the third-place game to CSKA Moscow, by a score of 80–86.[14] Bjelica had his best season since coming to the club, averaging a career-high 12.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. Fenerbahçe, however, finished the season without winning any trophy, after also losing in the semi-final series of the Turkish League championship, to the eventual league champions Pınar Karşıyaka.

On 1 July 2015, Bjelica opted out of his contract with Fenerbahçe in order to play in the NBA.[15]

Minnesota Timberwolves (2015–2018) Edit

On 14 July 2015, Bjelica signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves.[16] He made his debut for the Timberwolves in their season opener on 28 October 2015, recording eight points and five rebounds in a 112–111 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.[17] On 7 November 2015, he had a season-best game with 17 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block against the Chicago Bulls. On 7 April 2016, he scored a season-high 18 points against the Sacramento Kings. Four days later, he recorded 11 points and a season-high 14 rebounds against the Houston Rockets.[18]

On 13 November 2016, Bjelica made his first career start and scored a career-high 24 points in a 125–99 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.[19] On 16 March 2017, he was ruled out for the rest of the 2016–17 season with a left foot injury.[20] He underwent surgery five days later to repair a fractured navicular bone in his left foot.[21]

Bjelica missed 15 games spanning November and December of the 2017–18 season with a sprained left foot.[22] On 8 March 2018, he scored a career-high 30 points on 11-for-16 shooting, including 6 for 9 from 3-point range, in a 117–109 loss to the Boston Celtics. He also had 12 rebounds to record his first 20–10 game in the NBA.[23]

Sacramento Kings (2018–2021) Edit

On 21 July 2018, just days after backing out of a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers with the intention of returning to Europe, Bjelica signed a three-year, $20.5 million contract with the Sacramento Kings.[24][25][26] In his first season with the club, Bjelica averaged 9.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

The 2019–20 NBA season was the best season Bjelica had since coming to the NBA, as he averaged 11.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists over 72 games. The season was suspended in March as a result of COVID-19 pandemic and Sacramento Kings were invited for 22-team 2020 NBA Bubble. Eventually, they did not manage to qualify for the playoffs and finished the season with 31–41 record.

Miami Heat (2021) Edit

On 25 March 2021, Bjelica was traded to the Miami Heat in exchange for Maurice Harkless and Chris Silva.[27]

Golden State Warriors (2021–2022) Edit

On August 6, 2021, Bjelica signed with the Golden State Warriors.[28] He made his debut for the Warriors in their season opener on 19 October 2021, recording a double-double off the bench with 15 points and 11 rebounds in a 121–114 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.[29][30] He became the first player to post a double-double off the bench in his Warriors debut since Sam Williams (16 points, 12 rebounds) on October 30, 1981 at Denver.[31] During the 2022 NBA Finals, Bjelica held Celtics star Jayson Tatum to 0-6 shooting and 4 turnovers en route to his first NBA championship.[32] He became the fourth NBA player from Serbia who won the championship, joining Darko Miličić, Peja Stojaković, and Ognjen Kuzmić.[33]

Return to Fenerbahçe (2022–2023) Edit

On August 9, 2022, Bjelica signed a two-year deal to return to Fenerbahçe Beko, where he was named the EuroLeague MVP of the 2014-15 season.[34][35] Bjelica made his season debut on 3 March 2023, after missing much of the season due to a calf injury.

On September 12, 2023, Bjelica was released by Fenerbahçe.[36]

Return to Crvena zvezda (2023–) Edit

On September 12, 2023, hours after being released by Fenerbahçe, Bjelica signed a contract with Crvena zvezda.[36]

National team career Edit

 
Bjelica taking on Israel as part of the gold medal-winning Serbian university team at the 2009 Summer Universiade in Belgrade.

Bjelica played with the senior Serbian national basketball team that won the silver medal at the EuroBasket 2009. He was also a member of the Serbian national team at the 2010 FIBA World Championship, where Serbia was defeated 99-88 by Lithuania in the game for the bronze medal, after they had earlier lost to hosts, Turkey, in a highly controversial semifinals finish. He was also capped for the national team of Serbia at the EuroBasket 2011, in Lithuania, where Serbia finished eighth.

During EuroBasket 2013 in Slovenia, Bjelica became one of the veterans of a very young and incomplete Serbia squad, leading the team alongside captain Nenad Krstić and Nemanja Nedović. Serbia was eventually swept by Spain in the quarterfinals, but the team showed some good performances, particularly against Lithuania and France. During the tournament, he averaged 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game, on 54% shooting from the field.

He was also a member of the Serbian national basketball team that won the silver medal at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup under head coach Aleksandar Đorđević. Although his three-point shooting form wasn't impressive during the tournament, he was still one of the most important players of the team, filling all sorts of roles with his handling, passing, rebounding, and scoring. He ended the tournament with averages of 11.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game.

He was also a member of the team that represented Serbia at the EuroBasket 2015.[37] In Serbia's opening game, an 80–70 win against Spain, he was Serbia's key player, posting 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists. The following day, he made a game-winning shot against Germany. In the last match of the group phase, he scored 19 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and had 4 assists against Italy. Serbia dominated in the tournament's toughest group, Group B, with a 5–0 record, and then eliminated Finland and the Czech Republic in the round of 16 and quarterfinal games, respectively. However, they were stopped in the semifinal game by Lithuania, by a score of 67–64,[38] and eventually lost to the host team, France, in the bronze-medal game, by a score of 81–68.[39] Being one of the team's leaders, along with Miloš Teodosić and Miroslav Raduljica, Bjelica averaged 13.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game, on 56.1% shooting from the field and 37.5% shooting from behind the three-point line.[40]

At the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, the national team of Serbia was dubbed as favorite to win the trophy,[41] but was eventually upset in the quarterfinals by Argentina.[42] With wins over the United States and Czech Republic, it finished in fifth place.[43][44] Bjelica's statistics suggest he was the third-best player on the team behind Bogdanović and Jokić, averaging 10.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists over 7 games, while shooting 42.9% from the field.

Awards and accomplishments Edit

Club
Individual

Career statistics Edit

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship

NBA Edit

Regular season Edit

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 Edit

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 Edit

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 .0 1.2 0.5
2011–12 10 5 13.9 .692 .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 1.6 .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 5 0 8.3 .455 .200 .400 2.0 1.0 .4 .0 3.0 3.0
Career 107 54 21.3 .563 .356 .713 5.3 1.5 1.0 .2 8.7 11.2

Personal life Edit

Bjelica was brought up in the New Belgrade Blocks.[45] He married in June 2012 and has a daughter.[46]

See also Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ "Bjelica za MONDO: Imam glavu plejmejkera". mondo.rs (in Serbian). 20 November 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  2. ^ "Nemanja Bjelica". basketballliga.at (in German). Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  3. ^ "NEMANJA BJELICA ZA TELEGRAF: Da nije bilo Pešića, ostao bih prosečno krilo (VIDEO)". Telegraf.rs (in Serbian). 6 January 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  4. ^ "Minnesota Acquires Draft Rights to Lazar Hayward". NBA.com. 25 June 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
  5. ^ "Caja Laboral lands Nemanja Bjelica". Euroleague.net. 2 August 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  6. ^ "Fenerbahce will sign Nemanja Bjelica to a three-year deal". Sportando.net. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  7. ^ "Bjelica kod Obradovića u Feneru". b92.net (in Serbian). Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  8. ^ Preradović, V. "Bjelica: Željko Obradović i ja, nestvarno!". novosti.rs (in Serbian). No. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  9. ^ "bwin MVP for March: Nemanja Bjelica, Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul". euroleague.net. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  10. ^ "All-Euroleague First and Second Teams announced". euroleague.net. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  11. ^ "2014-15 bwin MVP: Nemanja Bjelica, Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul". euroleague.net. 14 May 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  12. ^ . eurohoops.net. 20 April 2015. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  13. ^ "Real Madrid heads to third straight final after beating Fenerbahce". euroleague.net. 15 May 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  14. ^ "CSKA Moscow beats Fenerbahce in third-place game". euroleague.net. 17 May 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  15. ^ "Fenerbahce opts out of Nemanja Bjelica's contract". sportando.com. 1 July 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  16. ^ "Timberwolves Sign Reigning Euroleague Most Valuable Player Nemanja Bjelica". NBA.com. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  17. ^ . NBA.com. 28 October 2015. Archived from the original on 26 October 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  18. ^ "Nemanja Bjelica 2015-16 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  19. ^ "Wiggins scores 47 to lead Timberwolves over Lakers, 125-99". ESPN.com. 13 November 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  20. ^ "NEMANJA BJELICA INJURY UPDATE". NBA.com. 16 March 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  21. ^ "NEMANJA BJELICA INJURY UPDATE". NBA.com. 21 March 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  22. ^ "Timberwolves beat Lakers 121-104 for first Christmas win". ESPN.com. 25 December 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  23. ^ "Irving returns to carry Celtics past Timberwolves 117-109". ESPN.com. 8 March 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  24. ^ "Kings Sign Nemanja Bjelica". NBA.com. 21 July 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  25. ^ "Nemanja Bjelica staying in the U.S. after all, reaches deal with Kings". ESPN.com. 21 July 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  26. ^ "Nemanja Bjelica won't sign with 76ers, plans to stay in Europe". ESPN.com. 17 July 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018. On 9 December 2019, Bjelica drilled a buzzer beating 3-pointer to lift the Kings to a road win at the Houston Rockets, 119-118. On 13 January 2020, he set career highs with 34 points and 8 3-pointers in a 114-112 loss to the Orlando Magic.
  27. ^ "HEAT Acquire Nemanja Bjelica". NBA.com. 25 March 2021.
  28. ^ "Warriors Sign Free Agent Forward Nemanja Bjelica". NBA.com. 6 August 2021.
  29. ^ "Curry, Warriors stun James, Lakers 121-114 in opener". nba.com. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  30. ^ "Skoro savršeno veče Nemanje Bjelice: Dabl-dablom režirao preokret za pobedu u Gradu anđela". mozzartsport.com. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  31. ^ "Bjelica zabeležio debi kakav nije viđen 40 godina". mozzartsport.com. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  32. ^ @statmuse (14 June 2022). "Register" (Tweet). Retrieved 17 June 2022 – via Twitter.
  33. ^ "Nemanja Bjelica četvrti Srbin sa NBA prstenom". mozzartsport.com. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  34. ^ Nemanja Bjelica sign for Fenerbahçe
  35. ^ BOMB; Fenerbahçe announced Nemanja Bjelica transfer officially
  36. ^ a b Askounis, Johnny (12 September 2023). "Nemanja Bjelica parts ways with Fenerbahce and reunites with Crvena Zvezda". eurohoops.net. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  37. ^ . eurobasket2015.org. 2 September 2015. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  38. ^ . eurobasket2015.org. Archived from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  39. ^ . eurobasket2015.org. 20 September 2015. Archived from the original on 22 September 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  40. ^ "Player profile: Nemanja Bjelica". eurobasket2015.org. FIBA Europe. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  41. ^ Curkovic, Igor (28 August 2019). "FIBA Basketball World Cup Power Rankings, Volume 3". fiba.basketball. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  42. ^ "Argentina upsets Olympic silver medalist Serbia in FIBA World Cup quarterfinals". nbcsports.com. 10 September 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  43. ^ "Serbia defeats USA in FIBA World Cup consolation round play". nba.com. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  44. ^ T., P. (14 September 2019). "Bogdanović ponovo briljirao – Srbiji peto mesto u Kini" (in Serbian). Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  45. ^ "SEDAM KRATKIH PITANJA ZA NEMANJU BJELICU".
  46. ^ "Crkveno venčanje Mirjane i Nemanje Bjelice". novosti.rs (in Serbian). 22 June 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2015.

External links Edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nemanja Bjelica.
  • Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
  • at acb.com
  • Nemanja Bjelica at euroleague.net
  • Nemanja Bjelica at fiba.com
  • Nemanja Bjelica at tblstat.net
  • Nemanja Bjelica on Twitter  

September 22, 2023
nemanja, bjelica, serbian, cyrillic, Немања, Бјелица, pronounced, němaɲa, bjělitsa, born, 1988, serbian, professional, basketball, player, crvena, zvezda, serbian, adriatic, league, euroleague, also, represents, senior, serbian, national, basketball, team, int. Nemanja Bjelica Serbian Cyrillic Nemaњa Bјelica pronounced nemaɲa bjelitsa born 9 May 1988 is a Serbian professional basketball player for Crvena zvezda of the Serbian KLS the Adriatic League and the EuroLeague He also represents the senior Serbian national basketball team internationally Bjelica was an All Euroleague First Team selection as well as the Euroleague MVP in 2015 Bjelica started his NBA career as a 27 year old rookie when he signed in 2015 and played for the Minnesota Timberwolves for three seasons before signing with the Sacramento Kings in the 2018 offseason In 2021 he was traded to the Miami Heat before signing with the Golden State Warriors during the offseason With the Warriors he won an NBA championship in 2022 Nemanja BjelicaBjelica with Fenerbahce Beko in 2022 No 88 Crvena zvezda MeridianbetPositionPower forwardLeagueBasketball League of SerbiaABA LeagueEuroLeaguePersonal informationBorn 1988 05 09 9 May 1988 age 35 Belgrade SR Serbia SFR YugoslaviaNationalitySerbianListed height6 ft 10 in 2 08 m Listed weight234 lb 106 kg Career informationNBA draft2010 2nd round 35th overall pickSelected by the Washington WizardsPlaying career2007 presentCareer history2007 2008Traiskirchen Lions2008 2010Crvena zvezda2010 2013Baskonia2013 2015Fenerbahce2015 2018Minnesota Timberwolves2018 2021Sacramento Kings2021Miami Heat2021 2022Golden State Warriors2022 2023Fenerbahce2023 presentCrvena zvezdaCareer highlights and awardsNBA champion 2022 EuroLeague MVP 2015 All EuroLeague First Team 2015 All EuroLeague Forward of the Year 2015 Serbian Player of the Year 2015 Turkish League champion 2014 Turkish Presidential Cup winner 2013 All Serbian League First Team 2010 2 Zadar Basketball Tournament winner 2014 2015 Stats at NBA comStats at Basketball Reference comMedals Men s basketballRepresenting SerbiaFIBA World Cup2014 Spain TeamEuroBasket2009 Poland TeamUniversiade2009 Belgrade TeamBjelica with Serbia in August 2015 Contents 1 Professional career 1 1 Arkadia Traiskirchen 2007 2008 1 2 Crvena zvezda 2008 2010 1 3 Saski Baskonia 2010 2013 1 4 Fenerbahce 2013 2015 1 5 Minnesota Timberwolves 2015 2018 1 6 Sacramento Kings 2018 2021 1 7 Miami Heat 2021 1 8 Golden State Warriors 2021 2022 1 9 Return to Fenerbahce 2022 2023 1 10 Return to Crvena zvezda 2023 2 National team career 3 Awards and accomplishments 4 Career statistics 4 1 NBA 4 1 1 Regular season 4 1 2 Playoffs 4 2 EuroLeague 5 Personal life 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksProfessional career Edit nbsp Bjelica playing for Red Star Arkadia Traiskirchen 2007 2008 Edit Bjelica began playing basketball at Aca Janjic basketball school before joining the youth system of KK Partizan 1 He began his professional career in the 2007 08 season with the Arkadia Traiskirchen Lions of the Austrian League averaging 8 5 points in 26 games 2 Crvena zvezda 2008 2010 Edit After one season abroad he returned to the Serbian team Crvena zvezda and spent two successful seasons there under head coach Svetislav Pesic During the 2008 09 season he made breakthroughs and earned a place in the first lineup He was particularly noted for his performance during the EuroCup for his outside shooting Later in his career Bjelica cited coach Pesic as one of the main reasons for his improvement as a player 3 Coach Pesic trusted Bjelica with the ball and gave the 6 10 Bjelica a primary ball handler role on several occasions which helped to develop Bjelica as a play maker Bjelica was drafted by the Washington Wizards with the 35th pick of the 2010 NBA draft His draft rights were then traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves 4 Saski Baskonia 2010 2013 Edit In August 2010 Bjelica signed a five year contract with Spanish club Saski Baskonia 5 In his first season with the club he didn t get much playing time averaging only 9 minutes played per game In his second season with Baskonia he averaged 4 8 points per game on 56 shooting from the field and 47 shooting from 3 point range three in 13 minutes played per game His third and last season with the club was the most successful as he played in 26 games with the averages of 9 9 points 4 8 rebounds 1 3 assists and 1 steal per game on 46 shooting from the field Fenerbahce 2013 2015 Edit On 22 July 2013 Bjelica signed a three year deal with the Turkish team Fenerbahce Ulker which was led by one of Europe s great coaches Zeljko Obradovic 6 7 He cited Obradovic as the main reason why he didn t go to the NBA instead 8 In the 2013 14 season he immediately became one of the key Fenerbahce Ulker players averaging career highs of 10 4 points 6 1 rebounds 2 2 assists and 1 6 steals per game over 24 EuroLeague games The following season Bjelica s game saw its most improvement and consistency On 30 March 2015 he was named the EuroLeague MVP of the Month for March his first such monthly award in his career Over 4 games played in March he averaged 15 points 9 rebounds 3 assists and 1 block per game 9 In May 2015 he was chosen to the All EuroLeague First Team for his performances over the season 10 Eventually Bjelica was named the EuroLeague MVP of the season 11 Fenerbahce also advanced to the EuroLeague Final Four for the first time in the team s history 12 On 15 May 2015 however they lost in the semifinal game to Real Madrid by a score of 87 96 13 Eventually Fenerbahce finished in 4th place after losing in the third place game to CSKA Moscow by a score of 80 86 14 Bjelica had his best season since coming to the club averaging a career high 12 1 points 8 5 rebounds 1 9 assists and 1 3 steals per game Fenerbahce however finished the season without winning any trophy after also losing in the semi final series of the Turkish League championship to the eventual league champions Pinar Karsiyaka On 1 July 2015 Bjelica opted out of his contract with Fenerbahce in order to play in the NBA 15 Minnesota Timberwolves 2015 2018 Edit On 14 July 2015 Bjelica signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves 16 He made his debut for the Timberwolves in their season opener on 28 October 2015 recording eight points and five rebounds in a 112 111 win over the Los Angeles Lakers 17 On 7 November 2015 he had a season best game with 17 points 11 rebounds five assists one steal and one block against the Chicago Bulls On 7 April 2016 he scored a season high 18 points against the Sacramento Kings Four days later he recorded 11 points and a season high 14 rebounds against the Houston Rockets 18 On 13 November 2016 Bjelica made his first career start and scored a career high 24 points in a 125 99 win over the Los Angeles Lakers 19 On 16 March 2017 he was ruled out for the rest of the 2016 17 season with a left foot injury 20 He underwent surgery five days later to repair a fractured navicular bone in his left foot 21 Bjelica missed 15 games spanning November and December of the 2017 18 season with a sprained left foot 22 On 8 March 2018 he scored a career high 30 points on 11 for 16 shooting including 6 for 9 from 3 point range in a 117 109 loss to the Boston Celtics He also had 12 rebounds to record his first 20 10 game in the NBA 23 Sacramento Kings 2018 2021 Edit On 21 July 2018 just days after backing out of a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers with the intention of returning to Europe Bjelica signed a three year 20 5 million contract with the Sacramento Kings 24 25 26 In his first season with the club Bjelica averaged 9 6 points 5 8 rebounds and 1 9 assists per game The 2019 20 NBA season was the best season Bjelica had since coming to the NBA as he averaged 11 5 points 6 4 rebounds and 2 8 assists over 72 games The season was suspended in March as a result of COVID 19 pandemic and Sacramento Kings were invited for 22 team 2020 NBA Bubble Eventually they did not manage to qualify for the playoffs and finished the season with 31 41 record Miami Heat 2021 Edit On 25 March 2021 Bjelica was traded to the Miami Heat in exchange for Maurice Harkless and Chris Silva 27 Golden State Warriors 2021 2022 Edit On August 6 2021 Bjelica signed with the Golden State Warriors 28 He made his debut for the Warriors in their season opener on 19 October 2021 recording a double double off the bench with 15 points and 11 rebounds in a 121 114 win over the Los Angeles Lakers 29 30 He became the first player to post a double double off the bench in his Warriors debut since Sam Williams 16 points 12 rebounds on October 30 1981 at Denver 31 During the 2022 NBA Finals Bjelica held Celtics star Jayson Tatum to 0 6 shooting and 4 turnovers en route to his first NBA championship 32 He became the fourth NBA player from Serbia who won the championship joining Darko Milicic Peja Stojakovic and Ognjen Kuzmic 33 Return to Fenerbahce 2022 2023 Edit On August 9 2022 Bjelica signed a two year deal to return to Fenerbahce Beko where he was named the EuroLeague MVP of the 2014 15 season 34 35 Bjelica made his season debut on 3 March 2023 after missing much of the season due to a calf injury On September 12 2023 Bjelica was released by Fenerbahce 36 Return to Crvena zvezda 2023 Edit On September 12 2023 hours after being released by Fenerbahce Bjelica signed a contract with Crvena zvezda 36 National team career Edit nbsp Bjelica taking on Israel as part of the gold medal winning Serbian university team at the 2009 Summer Universiade in Belgrade Bjelica played with the senior Serbian national basketball team that won the silver medal at the EuroBasket 2009 He was also a member of the Serbian national team at the 2010 FIBA World Championship where Serbia was defeated 99 88 by Lithuania in the game for the bronze medal after they had earlier lost to hosts Turkey in a highly controversial semifinals finish He was also capped for the national team of Serbia at the EuroBasket 2011 in Lithuania where Serbia finished eighth During EuroBasket 2013 in Slovenia Bjelica became one of the veterans of a very young and incomplete Serbia squad leading the team alongside captain Nenad Krstic and Nemanja Nedovic Serbia was eventually swept by Spain in the quarterfinals but the team showed some good performances particularly against Lithuania and France During the tournament he averaged 10 points 7 rebounds and 1 9 assists per game on 54 shooting from the field He was also a member of the Serbian national basketball team that won the silver medal at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup under head coach Aleksandar Đorđevic Although his three point shooting form wasn t impressive during the tournament he was still one of the most important players of the team filling all sorts of roles with his handling passing rebounding and scoring He ended the tournament with averages of 11 9 points 6 9 rebounds and 2 8 assists per game He was also a member of the team that represented Serbia at the EuroBasket 2015 37 In Serbia s opening game an 80 70 win against Spain he was Serbia s key player posting 24 points 10 rebounds and 4 assists The following day he made a game winning shot against Germany In the last match of the group phase he scored 19 points grabbed 8 rebounds and had 4 assists against Italy Serbia dominated in the tournament s toughest group Group B with a 5 0 record and then eliminated Finland and the Czech Republic in the round of 16 and quarterfinal games respectively However they were stopped in the semifinal game by Lithuania by a score of 67 64 38 and eventually lost to the host team France in the bronze medal game by a score of 81 68 39 Being one of the team s leaders along with Milos Teodosic and Miroslav Raduljica Bjelica averaged 13 9 points 6 6 rebounds and 2 7 assists per game on 56 1 shooting from the field and 37 5 shooting from behind the three point line 40 At the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup the national team of Serbia was dubbed as favorite to win the trophy 41 but was eventually upset in the quarterfinals by Argentina 42 With wins over the United States and Czech Republic it finished in fifth place 43 44 Bjelica s statistics suggest he was the third best player on the team behind Bogdanovic and Jokic averaging 10 7 points 4 7 rebounds and 2 7 assists over 7 games while shooting 42 9 from the field Awards and accomplishments EditClubNBA champion 2022 2014 15 EuroLeague Final Four with Fenerbahce Zadar Basketball Tournament 2014 2015 Turkish Basketball League 2013 14 Turkish President s Cup 2013Individual2015 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 Fenerbahce 2010 All Serbian League First Team 2009 Best Athlete of SD Crvena ZvezdaCareer statistics EditLegend GP Games played GS Games started MPG Minutes per game FG Field goal percentage 3P 3 point field goal percentage FT Free throw percentage RPG Rebounds per game APG Assists per game SPG Steals per game BPG Blocks per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high Won an NBA championshipNBA Edit Regular season Edit Year Team GP GS MPG FG 3P FT RPG APG SPG BPG PPG2015 16 Minnesota 60 0 17 9 468 384 727 3 5 1 4 4 4 5 12016 17 Minnesota 65 1 18 3 424 316 738 3 8 1 2 6 3 6 22017 18 Minnesota 67 21 20 5 461 415 800 4 1 1 3 7 2 6 82018 19 Sacramento 77 70 23 2 479 401 761 5 8 1 9 7 7 9 62019 20 Sacramento 72 67 27 9 481 419 821 6 4 2 8 9 6 11 52020 21 Sacramento 26 1 16 9 460 293 762 3 8 1 9 3 1 7 2Miami 11 2 14 2 435 370 556 2 5 1 8 6 3 5 02021 22 Golden State 71 0 16 1 468 362 728 4 1 2 2 6 4 6 1Career 449 162 20 4 466 384 759 4 6 1 8 6 4 7 6Playoffs Edit Year Team GP GS MPG FG 3P FT RPG APG SPG BPG PPG2018 Minnesota 5 0 9 4 438 517 714 3 0 6 6 0 4 62021 Miami 2 0 15 0 455 500 667 2 5 1 0 1 0 5 9 02022 Golden State 15 0 10 0 529 375 571 2 1 1 1 3 1 2 9Career 22 0 10 3 492 478 650 2 3 1 0 4 1 3 8EuroLeague Edit Year Team GP GS MPG FG 3P FT RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR2010 11 Baskonia 13 2 9 0 250 222 500 1 7 5 2 0 1 2 0 52011 12 10 5 13 9 692 474 750 2 1 1 0 1 3 3 4 8 6 22012 13 26 9 23 1 459 310 741 4 8 1 3 1 0 3 9 9 10 12013 14 Fenerbahce 24 18 25 1 474 416 846 6 1 2 2 1 6 4 10 4 13 62014 15 29 20 27 8 500 351 684 8 5 1 9 1 3 7 12 1 18 32022 23 5 0 8 3 455 200 400 2 0 1 0 4 0 3 0 3 0Career 107 54 21 3 563 356 713 5 3 1 5 1 0 2 8 7 11 2Personal life EditBjelica was brought up in the New Belgrade Blocks 45 He married in June 2012 and has a daughter 46 See also EditPortals nbsp Sports nbsp Serbia List of European basketball players in the United States List of KK Crvena zvezda players with 100 games played List of Serbian NBA playersReferences Edit Bjelica za MONDO Imam glavu plejmejkera mondo rs in Serbian 20 November 2008 Retrieved 27 December 2018 Nemanja Bjelica basketballliga at in German Retrieved 27 December 2018 NEMANJA BJELICA ZA TELEGRAF Da nije bilo Pesica ostao bih prosecno krilo VIDEO Telegraf rs in Serbian 6 January 2013 Retrieved 14 July 2015 Minnesota Acquires Draft Rights to Lazar Hayward NBA com 25 June 2010 Retrieved 17 October 2010 Caja Laboral lands Nemanja Bjelica Euroleague net 2 August 2010 Retrieved 18 May 2015 Fenerbahce will sign Nemanja Bjelica to a three year deal Sportando net Retrieved 23 July 2013 Bjelica kod Obradovica u Feneru b92 net in Serbian Retrieved 23 July 2013 Preradovic V Bjelica Zeljko Obradovic i ja nestvarno novosti rs in Serbian No 23 July 2013 Retrieved 30 April 2015 bwin MVP for March Nemanja Bjelica Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul euroleague net Retrieved 30 April 2015 All Euroleague First and Second Teams announced euroleague net Retrieved 8 May 2015 2014 15 bwin MVP Nemanja Bjelica Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul euroleague net 14 May 2015 Retrieved 14 May 2015 Fenerbahce for the first time in the Final Four eurohoops net 20 April 2015 Archived from the original on 18 May 2015 Retrieved 15 May 2015 Real Madrid heads to third straight final after beating Fenerbahce euroleague net 15 May 2015 Retrieved 15 May 2015 CSKA Moscow beats Fenerbahce in third place game euroleague net 17 May 2015 Retrieved 18 May 2015 Fenerbahce opts out of Nemanja Bjelica s contract sportando com 1 July 2015 Retrieved 1 July 2015 Timberwolves Sign Reigning Euroleague Most Valuable Player Nemanja Bjelica NBA com 14 July 2015 Retrieved 14 July 2015 Wolves edge Lakers 112 111 in first game since Flip s death NBA com 28 October 2015 Archived from the original on 26 October 2015 Retrieved 29 October 2015 Nemanja Bjelica 2015 16 Game Log Basketball Reference com Retrieved 14 November 2016 Wiggins scores 47 to lead Timberwolves over Lakers 125 99 ESPN com 13 November 2016 Retrieved 14 November 2016 NEMANJA BJELICA INJURY UPDATE NBA com 16 March 2017 Retrieved 16 March 2017 NEMANJA BJELICA INJURY UPDATE NBA com 21 March 2017 Retrieved 21 March 2017 Timberwolves beat Lakers 121 104 for first Christmas win ESPN com 25 December 2017 Retrieved 26 December 2017 Irving returns to carry Celtics past Timberwolves 117 109 ESPN com 8 March 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2018 Kings Sign Nemanja Bjelica NBA com 21 July 2018 Retrieved 21 July 2018 Nemanja Bjelica staying in the U S after all reaches deal with Kings ESPN com 21 July 2018 Retrieved 21 July 2018 Nemanja Bjelica won t sign with 76ers plans to stay in Europe ESPN com 17 July 2018 Retrieved 21 July 2018 On 9 December 2019 Bjelica drilled a buzzer beating 3 pointer to lift the Kings to a road win at the Houston Rockets 119 118 On 13 January 2020 he set career highs with 34 points and 8 3 pointers in a 114 112 loss to the Orlando Magic HEAT Acquire Nemanja Bjelica NBA com 25 March 2021 Warriors Sign Free Agent Forward Nemanja Bjelica NBA com 6 August 2021 Curry Warriors stun James Lakers 121 114 in opener nba com Retrieved 20 October 2021 Skoro savrseno vece Nemanje Bjelice Dabl dablom rezirao preokret za pobedu u Gradu anđela mozzartsport com Retrieved 20 October 2021 Bjelica zabelezio debi kakav nije viđen 40 godina mozzartsport com Retrieved 20 October 2021 statmuse 14 June 2022 Register Tweet Retrieved 17 June 2022 via Twitter Nemanja Bjelica cetvrti Srbin sa NBA prstenom mozzartsport com Retrieved 17 June 2022 Nemanja Bjelica sign for Fenerbahce BOMB Fenerbahce announced Nemanja Bjelica transfer officially a b Askounis Johnny 12 September 2023 Nemanja Bjelica parts ways with Fenerbahce and reunites with Crvena Zvezda eurohoops net Retrieved 12 September 2023 AMBITIOUS SERBIA UNVEIL POWERFUL 12 MAN SQUAD eurobasket2015 org 2 September 2015 Archived from the original on 5 September 2015 Retrieved 3 September 2015 LITHUANIA END SERBIAN STREAK RETURN TO FINAL eurobasket2015 org Archived from the original on 19 September 2015 Retrieved 20 September 2015 FRANCE REWARD HOME SUPPORT WITH BRONZE eurobasket2015 org 20 September 2015 Archived from the original on 22 September 2015 Retrieved 20 September 2015 Player profile Nemanja Bjelica eurobasket2015 org FIBA Europe Retrieved 20 September 2015 Curkovic Igor 28 August 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup Power Rankings Volume 3 fiba basketball Retrieved 14 September 2019 Argentina upsets Olympic silver medalist Serbia in FIBA World Cup quarterfinals nbcsports com 10 September 2019 Retrieved 14 September 2019 Serbia defeats USA in FIBA World Cup consolation round play nba com 12 September 2019 Retrieved 14 September 2019 T P 14 September 2019 Bogdanovic ponovo briljirao Srbiji peto mesto u Kini in Serbian Retrieved 14 September 2019 SEDAM KRATKIH PITANJA ZA NEMANJU BJELICU Crkveno vencanje Mirjane i Nemanje Bjelice novosti rs in Serbian 22 June 2012 Retrieved 27 January 2015 External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nemanja Bjelica Career statistics and player information from NBA com and Basketball Reference com Nemanja Bjelica at acb com Nemanja Bjelica at euroleague net Nemanja Bjelica at fiba com Nemanja Bjelica at tblstat net Nemanja Bjelica on Twitter nbsp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Nemanja Bjelica amp oldid 1176250943, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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