Beloved Boban Marjanović Expected to Leave NBA for Turkish Basketball

Fan favorite Boban Marjanović is heading to Turkey to join EuroLeague team Fenerbahçe, according to Eurohoops and ESPN. The terms of his contract with the Turkish club have not been disclosed.

The 36-year-old Marjanović leaves behind a nine-season NBA career, which included stints with the San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, and most recently, the Houston Rockets. He played the last two seasons in Houston.

Standing at 7-4, Marjanović was known for his limited but impactful playtime across his NBA teams. In 331 career games, he made 25 starts and averaged 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds in 8.7 minutes per game. Last season, he played just 5.1 minutes per game in 14 appearances with the Rockets. The Houston Chronicle reports that Marjanović was not in the team's plans for the upcoming season.

Marjanović won fans over with his humor and larger-than-life personality, which matched his imposing presence on the court. Notably, in the final game of last season against the Clippers, he intentionally missed a free throw to activate a promotional giveaway for free chicken sandwiches, much to the amusement of fans and broadcasters alike.

Boban intentionally missing a free throw to give Clippers fans free chicken is the craziest thing I’ve seen all season  pic.twitter.com/Ok9Z5JGdTA

— Bradeaux (@BradeauxNBA) April 15, 2024

Marjanović also made a memorable cameo as a villain in the "John Wick" action movie franchise, where he faced off against Keanu Reeves' titular character.

A native of Serbia, Marjanović began his professional career in European leagues before joining the San Antonio Spurs in 2015. He was a standout player in Europe, earning the Serbian Super League MVP award three times from 2013 to 2015.