When it comes to gregarious personalities in the NBA, very few were more so than Boban Marjanovic. The 36-year-old became a beloved teammate and figure by NBA fans. He was seen as a gentle giant throughout the league (listed at 7-foot-4).
Marjanovic had spent each of the previous nine years playing in the NBA prior to this season. This offseason, he decided to join the Turkish team Fenerbache Bako in the EuroLeague and BSL. His contract included an early termination option though which was exercised as the Serbian was’t making much of an impact, particularly in the EuroLeague.
It seems as if Marjanovic has found the next stop in his lengthy playing career.
Beloved Former NBA Giant Finds New Home Playing In China
Boban Marjanovic Will Be Joining Team In China
As first mentioned by Svetozar Janocic of Sports Klub, Marjanovic has found where he will play next. Marjanovic will be joining the Zhejiang Lions of the CBA in China.
The Lions have long been one of the best teams in the CBA and are currently 19-4 on the season. They have Nathan Knight on their roster who played 108 games over three seasons from 2020-21 until 2022-23 in the NBA while being rostered by the Atlanta Hawks and Minnesota Timberwolves. Notable players who were previously rostered by the team include Nick Young, Rafer Alston, Wilson Chandler, and Al Thornton.
Marjanovic certainly is hoping to have more of a role for Zhejiang than he did in Turkey. He was somewhat productive in his seven BSL games averaging 10.1 points and 4.9 rebounds in just 12.3 minutes per contest. He didn’t quite put up those numbers in his six EuroLeague outings with averages of 4.0 points and 3.5 rebounds in 10.0 minutes.
Had Nine Season Career In NBA
The rather large center first joined the NBA in the 2015-16 season when he was 27 years old. As mentioned, he played nine seasons in the league up until 2023-24. Marjanovic spent time with six teams in the league starting with the San Antonio Spurs. He later played with the Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, and lastly with the Houston Rockets.
Marjanovic’s best season by his numbers came in 2018-19 while playing with both the Clippers and 76ers. He finished with career-best averages of 7.3 points and 4.6 rebounds. Altogether, Marjanovic appeared in 331 career regular season games (25 starts). He posted career averages of 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 57.8% from the field. Marjanovic scored a career-high 31 points on March 11, 2020 as a member of the Mavericks.
Last season while with the Rockets, Marjanovic had a viral moment. Many teams have a giveaway where the home fans receive something if the road team misses two free throws in a row. In the last game of the season, the Rockets were playing the Clippers, one of Marjanovic’s former teams. After missing the first free throw, he mouthed something to the crowd, before seemingly missing the second free throw intentionally. That second missed free throw allowed Clippers fans to earn a free Chick-Fil-A chicken sandwich. He subsequently gave a wave to the crowd after the miss.
Boban intentionally missing a free throw to give Clippers fans free chicken is the craziest thing I’ve seen all season
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— Bradeaux (@BradeauxNBA) April 15, 2024
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