Emir Preldžić

Emir Preldžić — Biography

Emir Preldžić is a 2.06 m wing player who was a key figure in Fenerbahçe's successful run from the late 2000s to the mid-2010s. Of Bosniak descent, he was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, grew up in Slovenia and holds Bosnian, Slovenian and Turkish citizenship. He plays mainly small forward but can also play power forward, shooting guard and point guard, and most recently played in Bosnia and Herzegovina for Orlovik Žepče.

He began with the Čelik Zenica youth teams, then played for Triglav Kranj and Slovan. In 2007 he signed a four-year deal with Fenerbahçe Ülker, winning four Turkish league titles (2007-08, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2013-14), three Turkish Cups and two Presidential Cups. He was named MVP of the 2011 Turkish Cup final with 35 points and of the 2013 Presidential Cup final, and became team captain after Ömer Onan retired. He moved to Darüşşafaka in August 2015 and to Galatasaray in September 2016.

He was picked 57th in the second round of the 2009 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns, and his rights have changed hands many times since. After playing for Slovenia at the 2006 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship and the 2008 Olympic Qualifying Tournament, he switched to the Turkish national team, appearing at EuroBasket 2011 and 2013 and the 2014 World Cup.