Emir Preldžić

2.1. Early Years

Preldžić began his basketball career in the youth teams of Čelik Zenica in his native Bosnia and Herzegovina. He made his professional debut with Čelik Zenica during the 2003-04 season, competing in the Bosnia and Herzegovina League. For the 2004-05 season, he moved to Triglav Kranj, before joining Geoplin Slovan in the Adriatic League for the 2005-06 season.

2.2. Fenerbahçe Ülker

In 2007, Preldžić signed a four-year contract with the prominent Turkish EuroLeague team Fenerbahçe Ülker. His tenure with Fenerbahçe was marked by several memorable performances and achievements.

On January 27, 2011, in a EuroLeague match against Power Electronics Valencia, Preldžić showcased his defensive prowess by executing a double-block on Rafa Martínez in a single second. In that game, he contributed 10 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks to Fenerbahçe's victory. Later, on February 13, 2011, Preldžić was named the MVP of the Turkish Cup final, where he delivered an exceptional performance of 35 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists against Beşiktaş Cola Turka. Following these impressive displays, Fenerbahçe announced on February 28, 2011, that he had signed a three-year contract extension with the team.

Preldžić achieved a significant career milestone on March 20, 2011, when he recorded his first triple-double for Fenerbahçe, accumulating 10 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists against Olin Edirne. This marked only the second triple-double in the history of the Turkish Basketball League, following a performance by Mark Dickel in the 2002-03 season. His strong form continued into the 2012-13 Euroleague season; on October 11, 2012, he was named Euroleague Weekly MVP for his performance of 20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals against BC Khimki, earning a performance index rating of 31.

2.3. Subsequent Club Career

After his impactful period with Fenerbahçe Ülker, Preldžić continued his professional career with other Turkish clubs. On August 25, 2015, he signed with Darüşşafaka. The following year, on September 9, 2016, Preldžić signed a two-year deal with Galatasaray. Currently, he plays for KK Orlovik Žepče in the Basketball Championship of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

2.4. NBA Draft Rights

In the 2009 NBA draft, Emir Preldžić was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the second round, as the 57th overall pick. However, his draft rights never led to him playing in the NBA, as they were frequently traded between different teams. On June 25, 2009, his draft rights were traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In February 2010, the rights were again traded, this time to the Washington Wizards, as part of a multi-team deal that notably sent Antawn Jamison from Washington to Cleveland.

On July 17, 2014, the Dallas Mavericks acquired Preldžić's rights from the Wizards in a sign-and-trade deal involving DeJuan Blair. Two years later, on July 8, 2016, his rights, along with Jeremy Evans, were traded to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for the rights to Stanko Barać. The movement of his draft rights continued when, on July 14, 2017, they were traded to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Cory Joseph. His rights were traded once more on February 6, 2019, this time to the Philadelphia 76ers, and finally to the New York Knicks on March 25, 2021.

3.1. Slovenian National Team

Initially, Preldžić was a member of the Slovenia national basketball team. He acquired Slovenian citizenship through his membership in the Bosniak community residing in Slovenia. As a Slovenian national player, he competed for Slovenia at the 2008 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men.

3.2. Turkish National Team

Leading up to 2011, there was speculation in Bosnian media that Preldžić might play for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national basketball team, given his birthplace of Zenica, which is in modern Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, on July 6, 2011, the Turkish Basketball Federation officially announced Preldžić's inclusion in its nominated squad for EuroBasket 2011, which was held in Lithuania. Preldžić made the decision to change his national team allegiance, utilizing the FIBA regulation on Eligibility and National Status of Players (Chapter I.22) that permits such changes under specific conditions.

He was subsequently selected for the Turkish national team's EuroBasket 2011 roster by head coach Orhun Ene. During the tournament, on September 5, 2011, in a group match against Spain, Preldžić contributed significantly with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 steal in a Turkish victory. Over the course of the EuroBasket 2011 tournament, he averaged 10.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. Preldžić was again called to play for the Turkish national team at EuroBasket 2013, which took place in Slovenia. In that tournament, he averaged 8.8 points, and 3.8 rebounds and assists over 5 games.

4.1. Euroleague Statistics