Nemanja Bjelica, the celebrated basketball player and former representative of Serbia, announced today that he is ending his professional career.
Nemanja Bjelica spoke out today on his Instagram account, where, alongside a video featuring highlights from his entire career, he wrote briefly and clearly: ‘Thank you, basketball.’
The entire career of the power forward is well known. He didn’t manage to establish himself in Partizan’s youth selections, and he embarked on a journey to Austria, where he played for one season with the Traiskirchen Lions before being brought to Crvena Zvezda by Svetislav Pesic.
Already in his first season with the Belgrade red-and-whites, it became clear how much talent this young man possessed. He played until 2010 for the team from Mali Kalemegdan, before heading to Baskonia. He spent three outstanding years in Spain, establishing his name in European basketball, before signing with Fenerbahce in 2013.
Nemanja Bjelica was named the EuroLeague MVP
In 2015, he won his first career title with Fenerbahce, the same year he was named the EuroLeague MVP. Following that, he decided it was time to try his luck in the NBA, where he spent seven years playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, and Golden State Warriors. The pinnacle of his career came in 2022 when he became an NBA champion with the team from San Francisco, and the Serbian basketball player played a crucial role in that team.
Afterward, he returned to Europe and joined Fenerbahce once again, where he played in the 2022/23 season, before returning to Crvena Zvezda. However, significant injury problems in the last two seasons prevented him from showcasing his full potential. He didn’t even manage to debut for Crvena Zvezda in his second stint, so he finally decided it was time to bid farewell to basketball.
With the Serbian national team, he won two silver medals, at the European Championship in Poland in 2009, as well as at the World Championship in Spain in 2014.