EuroLeague 2026-27 Preview: Besiktas Returns After 13 Years With Nine New Signings

Besiktas last played in EuroLeague during the 2012-13 season. Thirteen years later, the club returns through the door left open by Monaco's departure, with a one-year invitation unanimously approved by the competition's shareholders. Turkey now has three representatives, alongside Fenerbahce and Anadolu Efes.

The Starting Point

The sporting credentials exist and are recent. Besiktas competed in last season's EuroCup and reached the final, where they fell to French side JL Bourg. Their head coach, Dusan Alimpijevic, was named Coach of the Year in the competition, an award he had already won in 2022 when he was coaching Bursaspor.

In the Turkish league, moreover, the team had been established among the best for some time: they were national runners-up in 2025 and for much of last season led the standings undefeated.

That said, it's important not to confuse things. A EuroCup final and a EuroLeague season are different competitions, and the jump in difficulty is considerable.

What's Arriving

Nine signings, practically an entire team.

The backcourt is reinforced with three complementary profiles: Scottie Wilbekin, a veteran with extensive EuroLeague experience; Jaylen Nowell, a shooting guard with an NBA background; and David DeJulius, on loan from UCAM Murcia after a season in which he was the second-leading scorer in the Liga Endesa with 17.5 points and made the All-Star Five. The deal was also completed following a contractual dispute between the player and the Murcia club, which retains his rights.

On the perimeter, DaQuan Jeffries, Furkan Korkmaz—Turkish international with seven seasons in Philadelphia—and Metecan Birsen arrive, the latter changing clubs without leaving Istanbul.

And in the paint, three names: Wenyen Gabriel, presented as a defensive anchor; Eugene Omoruyi, who leaves the Maccabi orbit; and Mady Sissoko, who arrives after a season at Real Madrid in which he had limited playing time.

Those Who Stay

The continuity core sustains the identity of the team that reached the continental final. Devon Dotson and Berk Ugurlu remain in the backcourt, Anthony Brown, Vitto Brown, and Conor Morgan in perimeter and interior positions, and especially Ante Zizic, a Croatian center with NBA and European experience who remains the reference in the paint.

The Keys

A coach with two jobs. Alimpijevic coaches Besiktas and, since September 2025, also the Serbian national team. He is a coach of growing prestige—two EuroCup Coach of the Year awards—but balancing both responsibilities in a debut EuroLeague season is a significant demand.

Nine signings and no margin for error. The team must come together while competing in Europe's toughest league. In these cases, the start is usually difficult and improvement comes in winter, if it comes at all.

The invitation factor. The spot is for one year. That means the club is gambling its continuity in the competition this season, which adds pressure but also clarity: there is no three-year project, there is an opportunity.

NBA names without European experience. Gabriel, Nowell, Jeffries, and Omoruyi have American credentials, but little or no EuroLeague experience. This is the type of roster that can work very well or fall apart in November.

The Forecast

The realistic objective is to compete with dignity and not fall behind, which in a debut season is already quite a lot. The track record of newly invited teams does not inspire optimism, although Besiktas has something others did not have: a head coach who knows exactly what it takes to win games in Europe with modest rosters.

The schedule, however, does them no favors. They debut on Friday, September 25 at home against Valencia Basket, runners-up in last season's Final Four.

Full Roster

Point Guards and Shooting Guards: David DeJulius (6'0"), Scottie Wilbekin (6'2"), Devon Dotson (6'2"), Berk Ugurlu (6'4"), Jaylen Nowell (6'4"), DaQuan Jeffries (6'5")
Small Forwards: Anthony Brown (6'6"), Furkan Korkmaz (6'7"), Vitto Brown (6'8"), Metecan Birsen (6'9")
Power Forwards and Centers: Eugene Omoruyi (6'6"), Wenyen Gabriel (6'9"), Mady Sissoko (6'9"), Conor Morgan (6'9"), Ante Zizic (6'10")