Boban Marjanovic, Beloved NBA Veteran, Signs with Turkish Team for Upcoming Season

Boban Marjanovic is a breath of fresh air in the NBA. In a league known for its ego and intense competitiveness, Marjanovic stood out as a beacon of happiness. Always sporting a smile, he never forgot how lucky he was to be living his dream of getting paid to play basketball. Fans, teammates, and even advertisers couldn't help but be drawn to his infectious positivity.

All that love is headed to Turkey this season. Marjanovic has agreed to terms with Turkish powerhouse and Euroleague team Fenerbahçe for this season, a story broken by reports

Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com

Fenerbahce Beko has reached an agreement with Boban Marjanovic as his agent Misko Raznatovic hinted!

Serbian giant is joining Istanbul giant! pic.twitter.com/QuYPddqLud

— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) September 17, 2024

Marjanovic's agreement does have a December opt-out window where, if an NBA team did call, the Serbian center could return to the NBA. It's also unlikely to happen.

Marjanovic, 36, played nine NBA seasons, starting with the Spurs but including stops with the Pistons, Clippers, 76ers, Mavericks, and the past two seasons with the Rockets. He established himself as a situational player and a solid third center in the NBA who could bring some bulk and rim protection to the court when called upon, averaging 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds a game in the limited minutes he did play (he did start 25 games but never averaged more than 11.7 minutes a game in any season).

Marjanovic heads to a stacked Fenerbahçe squad where he will likely play behind former NBA center Khem Birch.

What we all hope to see after his playing days is more Boban the actor. He had a role in "John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum" (where Keanu Reeves famously kills him) and a great moment in Adam Sandler's "Hustle" plus a spot in Hulu's "Self Reliance." We need more of the big man on the big screen.