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jul 23 2026The 25-year-old Polish center, standing 2.16 meters tall, joins Barcelona as a free agent on a two-year deal through June 30, 2028
FC Barcelona and Polish player Aleksander 'Olek' Balcerowski have agreed to a contract binding them until June 30, 2028. The Palau crowd will enjoy, for at least two seasons, the 25-year-old center standing 2.16 meters tall, who arrives from Unicaja Málaga to provide toughness under the basket on both ends of the floor. The Polish player was released by the Málaga club and arrives at the Palau as a free agent.
Balcerowski has enjoyed a short but intense and successful career to date, winning a EuroCup (2023), a EuroLeague (2024), a Greek League title (2024), two FIBA Intercontinental Cups (2024 and 2025), a Supercup (2024), a Basketball Champions League (2025), and a Copa del Rey (2025) with Gran Canaria, Panathinaikos, and Unicaja Málaga.
Born in Świdnica, in southwestern Poland, on November 19, 2000, Olek Balcerowski arrives in Barcelona as a homegrown player, thanks to his time at Gran Canaria. He is a mobile center, more technical than physical, with good screening ability, athletic enough to run the floor, and capable of using his height to finish plays, whether with dunks or with solid shooting from close range. However, his 2.16 meters do not prevent him from hitting three-pointers with great accuracy.
Development with Gran Canaria
His first contact with basketball came at Górnik Wałbrzych, near his hometown. Very early, at just 13 years old, he packed his bags to continue developing with the island club. From 2014 to 2017 he trained in the youth categories, at which point he got the opportunity to debut with the first team at 17 years and 14 days old, splitting time between the first team and the reserve squad. In the 2018/19 season he made his EuroLeague debut with the Canary Islands club at 18 years old, appearing in 6 games with averages of 3 points and 1.7 rebounds in 12 minutes of play.
2023 EuroCup Champion
During the 2020/21 season he established himself in the Liga Endesa rotation and was named EuroCup Best Young Player, an award he also won in the 2022/23 season upon his return to the island after a brief loan spell at Serbian Mega Basket (21/22) and going undrafted in the NBA in the summer of 2022. In fact, the second rising star award came alongside the European title after defeating Türk Telekom, with 5 points and 5 rebounds in the final. His overall EuroCup numbers stand at 7.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 8.8 efficiency rating on average across 46 games played over 4 seasons.
2024 EuroLeague Champion
His strong performances at Gran Canaria caught the attention of Panathinaikos, which signed him for the 2023/24 season. With the Greek team he played a total of 24 games in the top continental competition, averaging 2.8 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 3.1 efficiency rating in a season that culminated with the trophy in his hands, after defeating Real Madrid in the final. In Athens he also won the League title, after beating Olympiacos in a tight playoff series (3-2) and coming back from a 0-2 deficit.
More Titles with Unicaja
His last stop before landing in Barcelona was in Málaga. With Unicaja he played a total of 68 games in Liga Endesa, though his main successes at the domestic level have been a Supercup in 2024 and a Copa del Rey in 2025. The success does not end there as Balcerowski and his teammates also won the 2025 Basketball Champions League after defeating Galatasaray. During his time at the club, he also won the FIBA Intercontinental Cup twice (2024 and 2025), though he did not participate in the first one as he had just joined the Málaga squad.
