Nemanja Bjelica

BIOGRAPHY

Nemanja Bjelica was born on May 9, 1988, in Belgrade, Serbia. He is a power forward in the NBA.

Bjelica began playing basketball at Aca Janjić basketball school, before joining the youth selections of KK Partizan. He began his professional career in the 2007–08 season with the Arkadia Traiskirchen Lions of the Austrian League, averaging 8.5 points in 26 games

Bjelica was drafted by the Washington Wizards with the 35th pick of the 2010 NBA draft. His draft rights were then traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In August 2010, Bjelica signed a five-year contract with Spanish club Saski Baskonia. In his first season with the club, he didn't get much playing time, averaging only 9 minutes played per game. In his second season with Baskonia, he averaged 4.8 points per game, on 56% shooting from the field, and 47% shooting from 3 point range, three in 13 minutes played per game. His third and last season with the club was the most successful, as he played in 26 games, with the averages of 9.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1 steal per game, on 46% shooting from the field.

On July 22, 2013, Bjelica signed a three-year deal with the Turkish team Fenerbahçe Ülker, which was led by one of Europe's great coaches, Željko Obradović. Bjelica had his best season in 2015 since coming to the club in 2013, averaging a career-high 12.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.

On July 14, 2015, Bjelica signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. On July 21, 2018, just days after backing out of a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers with the intention of returning to Europe, Bjelica signed a three-year, $20.5 million contract with the Sacramento Kings