Zeljko Obradovic is back in the saddle. The man who has guided teams to a record nine EuroLeague crowns returned to the place where his coaching career started, Partizan NIS Belgrade. It is where he played as a player and won his first EuroLeague title in 1992. On Monday, Obradovic spoke to the media in the Serbian capital.

"I want to thank the club president for the chance he is giving me again, to return to Partizan and to work in Partizan", Obradovic said in his first press conference in his second stint as Partizan's head coach. "The reason I came back is something that comes from within, the deepest emotions I have towards this club, and I am very happy and proud that I can again sit on the Partizan bench."

Accompanied at the press conference by club president Ostoja Mijailovic and sports director Zoran Savic, the most decorated coach in European basketball history looked comfortable and relaxed, explaining the reasons behind his return.

"For me, this was a pretty easy decision, regardless of the fact that it needed some time to be finalized", he said. Obradovic added that he does not see his move to Partizan as a risk and that his decision was much easier to make than the one 30 years ago when he abruptly ended his playing career to start coaching.

"I always said that Partizan made me. It helped me and the years I spent as a player and the two years I worked as a head coach, it led to me feeling what I feel toward Partizan. I will always say that I owe Partizan, it is not that the club owes me. I am returning to somewhere where I love to be, it is a pure emotion and I cannot wait to start to work."

Obradovic spent the last season away from basketball, a pause he took after spending seven years with Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul.

"I am the happiest when I am on the floor," he explained. "I had a pause of more than a year. I have a tremendous desire to start working with the players and now there is the greatest challenge ahead to create a team that will be competitive in every competition we will play."

Obradovic will coach in two competitions he never coached before, the 7DAYS EuroCup and the Adriatic League, and he left no doubt what the club's goals are:

"The ambitions are the highest possible. I know what my arrival here means, I know what the expectations are. I can absolutely say that the only thing that interests us is to return to being a club that plays in the EuroLeague, to be a part of that competition. I believe that is where Partizan belongs, and where it deserves to be."

Legendary coach Zeljko Obradovic spoke to the media in the Serbian capital on Monday for the first time since he was named head coach of his beloved Partizan NIS Belgrade.

Zeljko Obradovic: 'It's a pure emotion'

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Turk Telekom Ankara will put its offense in the hands of point guard Andrew Andrews after signing him for the coming season

Turk Telekom tabs Andrews at point guard

Andrews (1.88 meters, 28 years old) arrives from fellow Turkish side Darussafaka Tekfen Istanbul, for which he averaged 16.1 points and 3.5 assists in the Turkish League last season in helping his team reach the playoffs. He improved those numbers to 18.2 points and 3.8 assists in the Basketball Champions League. Andrews has also played for Best Balıkesir and Buyukcekmece in Turkey, VEF Riga in Latvia, Hapoel Afula and Maccabi Haifa in Israel, and Delaware in the G-League.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Andrew Andrews Türk Telekom&#39;da👊 <br><br>Geçtiğimiz sezon Darüşşafaka Tekfen forması giyen Amerikalı oyun kurucu Andrew Andrews&#39;i renklerimize bağladık💪 Welcome to family Andrew 👏🏻 <a href="https://t.co/4UncFRTtJu">pic.twitter.com/4UncFRTtJu</a></p>&mdash; Türk Telekom SK (@TurkTelekom_SK) <a href="https://twitter.com/TurkTelekom_SK/status/1408763214028967941?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

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Turk Telekom Ankara will put its offense in the hands of point guard Andrew Andrews after signing him for the coming season.

The most decorated coach in European basketball history has completed the circle and returned to the club where he started his coaching career with the news that Partizan has hired Zeljko Obradovic as its new head coach. Obradovic, 61, who signed a three-year deal, starts his second stint with Partizan three decades after his coaching debut with the Serbian powerhouse. In his first season as head coach, 1991—92, Obradovic led Partizan to its only EuroLeague title. He also won the Yugoslavian League championship and Yugoslavian Cup that season to complete the triple crown. Obradovic went on to coach Joventut Badalona and Real Madrid of Spain, Benetton Treviso of Italy, Panathinaikos Athens of Greece and Fenerbahce Istanbul of Turkey, becoming the winningest coach in EuroLeague history.

Coach Obradovic has won nine EuroLeague titles - with Partizan in 1992, Joventut in 1994, Real in 1995, Panathinaikos in 2000, 2002, 2007, 2009 and 2011; and Fenerbahce in 2017. He took teams to 18 Final Fours and also won the Saporta Cup twice – with Real in 1997 and Benetton in 1999. He also led Panathinaikos to 11 Greek championships and seven Greek Cups in his 13 seasons with the Greens and helped Fenerbahce win four Turkish championships and three Turkish Cups. Obradovic was also successful with the Yugoslavian national team, leading it to gold medals at EuroBasket 1997 and the 1998 World Cup. He won a silver medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and a bronze medal at EuroBasket 1999.

Obradovic has a 69.9% winning percentage in the EuroLeague and is the only coach to win the Euroleague Basketball Alexander Gomelskiy Coach of the Year award three times (2007, 2011 and 2017). Now Obradovic is set to coach in two new competitions in his legendary career: the Adriatic League and the 7DAYS EuroCup.



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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">VRATIO SE! 🖤🤍<br><br>📑<a href="https://t.co/7BjY7cFGdQ">https://t.co/7BjY7cFGdQ</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKPartizan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KKPartizan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ABALiga?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ABALiga</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7dayseurocup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7dayseurocup</a> <a href="https://t.co/sFL3WCXGeD">pic.twitter.com/sFL3WCXGeD</a></p>&mdash; KK Partizan NIS (@PartizanBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/PartizanBC/status/1408443694471127042?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Coach Obradovic returns to Partizan

JL Bourg en Bresse bolstered its roster with the addition of a versatile winger Maxime Roos who signed a two-year deal

Bourg adds versatility with forward Roos

Roos (2.02 meters, 26 years old) arrives from a fellow French and 7DAYS EuroCup side Boulogne Metropolitans 92 where he posted 4.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game last season. Roos played his best during the Top 16 when he averaged 6.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and was the Top 16 leader in blocked shots with 2.5 per game, helping Metropolitans reach the EuroCup quarterfinals. His performances last season also led to his debut with the French national team. Roos grew up and played his whole career with Metropolitans, apart from one season on loan with a French lower division side ADA Blois, and he is now set to begin a new chapter with Bourg.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">🔴 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏.𝟐𝟐<br>⚪️ <a href="https://twitter.com/RoosMaxime?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RoosMaxime</a> rejoindra la JL Bourg la saison prochaine !<br><br>Lire le communiqué ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/S2BtofYYte">https://t.co/S2BtofYYte</a> <a href="https://t.co/R31XEjBNMX">pic.twitter.com/R31XEjBNMX</a></p>&mdash; JL Bourg Basket (@JLBourgBasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/JLBourgBasket/status/1407726667355799553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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JL Bourg en Bresse bolstered its roster with the addition of a versatile winger Maxime Roos who signed a two-year deal.

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Hamburg Towers gave their roster a boost of energy ahead of their 7DAYS EuroCup debut by signing forward Robin Christen to a one-year deal, the club announced on Thursday

Hamburg inks forward Christen

Christen (2.00 meters, 30 years old) arrives from a fellow German League side Rasta Vechta where last season he averaged 7.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists. Last season was Christen's remarkable return to basketball after a 16-month absence that caused him to miss the entire 2019-20 season due to a knee injury and an appendectomy. At Hamburg, he will reunite with head coach Pedro Calles, as the two were together with Vechta in the past. 

"I am happy that Robin is healthy again. In the last year he proved that impressively", Calles said. "I also appreciate his character and his mentality - he is ready to do everything for the team's success." 

During his professional career, Christen also played in German lower divisions with Essen, Hanau and Cologne, and now is set to make his EuroCup debut.

<div style="display: grid; place-items: center;"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="de" dir="ltr">So und nicht anders, wollen wir unseren Neuzugang Robin Christen nächste Saison auch im Towers-Trikot jubeln sehen! Herzlich Willkommen in Hamburg, <a href="https://twitter.com/robse33?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@robse33</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HamburgTowers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HamburgTowers</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MorethanBasktball?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MorethanBasktball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/easyCreditBBL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#easyCreditBBL</a><br><br>📰 Zur News ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/wlVTyAwuED">https://t.co/wlVTyAwuED</a><br>📷 Becker <a href="https://t.co/P2S0dDuAG4">pic.twitter.com/P2S0dDuAG4</a></p>&mdash; Hamburg Towers (@hamburgtowers) <a href="https://twitter.com/hamburgtowers/status/1407986961898520578?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Hamburg Towers gave their roster a boost of energy ahead of their 7DAYS EuroCup debut by signing forward Robin Christen to a one-year deal, the club announced on Thursday.

Umana Reyer Venice added experience to its backcourt with the addition of guard Michele Vitali on a multiyear deal

Reyer adds veteran guard Vitali

Vitali (1.96 meters, 29 years old) arrives from Brose Bamberg where he averaged 9.7 points, 2.6 assists and 2.2 rebounds last season in German League action, and also posted 12.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals in Basketball Champions League. Vitali returns to 7DAYS EuroCup where he played in the 2018-19 season when he helped MoraBanc Andorra reach the semifinals with 7.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists.

Vitali started his career with Virtus Bologna and also played for Gira Ozzano, SAIE3 Bologna, Biancoblu Basket Bologna, Pasta Reggia JuveCaserta, Germani Brescia and Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari. Vitali has been a member of the Italian national team, and in youth categories he helped Italy win a silver medal at the 2011 U20 European Championships.



Umana Reyer Venice added experience to its backcourt with the addition of guard Michele Vitali on a multiyear deal.

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Buducnost VOLI Podgorica continued a busy week by signing forward Marko Jagodic-Kuridza for the coming season on Thursday.

Buducnost signs big man Jagodic-Kuridza

Jagodic-Kuridza (2.05 meters, 34 years old) arrives from Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade, where he spent the past season and a half. He averaged 4.4 points and 2.9 rebounds in 34 EuroLeague games as a part-time starter last season. Before that, Jagodic-Kuridza played for Slovenian side Koper Primorska. He has also played for Spartak and Novi Sad in Serbia, Capljina and Borac Banja Luka in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cibona Zagreb in Croatia, CEZ Nymburk in the Czech Republic and Oostende in Belgium. He helped Cibona win the 2014 Adriatic League title, and has also captured national championships with Cibona, Nymburk, Oostende, Primorska and Zvezda.

<div style="display: grid; place-items: center;"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">Marko Jagodić-Kuridža potpisao za Budućnost Voli! 🔵⚪️👇<a href="https://t.co/jQiWohtEEN">https://t.co/jQiWohtEEN</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ajmoplavobijeli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ajmoplavobijeli</a> <a href="https://t.co/mRbxqFjTPr">pic.twitter.com/mRbxqFjTPr</a></p>&mdash; KK Budućnost VOLI (@KKBuducnostVOLI) <a href="https://twitter.com/KKBuducnostVOLI/status/1408066066266279948?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica continued a busy week by signing forward Marko Jagodic-Kuridza for the coming season on Thursday. 

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Frutti Extra Bursaspor brought a familiar face to its backcourt by signing combo guard Allerik Freeman for the upcoming season, the club announced on Thursday

Bursaspor re-unites with guard Freeman

Freeman (1.91 meters, 26 years old) spent the first part of last season with LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne where he made his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut, averaging 7.4 points, 1.2 assists and 1.1 rebounds in 18 appearances. He posted 13.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists in the French League action. He returns to Bursaspor where he shined during the first part of the 2019-20 campaign. Freeman was among the top scorers in the Turkish League that season, putting up 18.5 points per game, and also posting 4.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 14 games before leaving for Shenzhen of the Chinese Basketball Association, where he averaged 25.5 points in four games before the season was suspended. Freeman had started his professional career a season earlier with Alba Fehervar of Hungary, and prior to turning pro, he played four seasons split between Baylor University and North Carolina State University. He is now set to make his 7DAYS EuroCup debut.

<div style="display: grid; place-items: center;"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Welcome Back Allerik Freeman 🐊🏀<br><br>Kulübümüz, 2019-20 sezonunda takımımızda forma giyen ve gösterdiği etkili performansla dikkat çeken Amerikalı oyuncu Allerik Freeman ile yeniden anlaşma sağladı. <br><br>Freeman&#39;a yeniden hoşgeldin diyor, başarılı bir sezon geçirmesini diliyoruz. <a href="https://t.co/Lh2kiYfdiy">pic.twitter.com/Lh2kiYfdiy</a></p>&mdash; Frutti Extra Bursaspor (@BsBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/BsBasketbol/status/1407959242699640832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Frutti Extra Bursaspor brought a familiar face to its backcourt by signing combo guard Allerik Freeman for the upcoming season, the club announced on Thursday.

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ratiopharm solidified its backcourt by signing point guard Thomas Klepeisz to a three-year contract extension on Thursday

Ulm extends Klepeisz for three years

Klepeisz (1.86 meters, 29 years old) has spent the past season-plus with the club, which he first joined for the end-of-season tournament in the German League in 2020. He played in only three games in the 7DAYS EuroCup last season, during which he averaged 6.7 points, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals in less than 20 minutes per game. Those numbers rose to 9.2 points on 41.0% three-point shooting, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game in the German League. The veteran point guard began his career with Gussing Knights in his native Austria, where he played nine seasons before joining Basketball Loewen Braunschweig in 2016.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="de" dir="ltr">Tommy für Drei!<br><br>Unser Lieblings-Österreicher mit deutschem Pass <a href="https://twitter.com/TKlepeisz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TKlepeisz</a> bleibt ein <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/uuulmer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#uuulmer</a> und hat seinen Vertrag um drei… Drei… DREI Jahre verlängert. <br><br>Alle Infos und Stimmen für Euch jetzt hier👇 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/weareone?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#weareone</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/easyCreditBBL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#easyCreditBBL</a> <a href="https://t.co/l8uakVzWcf">https://t.co/l8uakVzWcf</a></p>&mdash; ratiopharm ulm (@ratiopharmulm) <a href="https://twitter.com/ratiopharmulm/status/1408085830284025862?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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ratiopharm solidified its backcourt by signing point guard Thomas Klepeisz to a three-year contract extension on Thursday.

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