By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Milos Teodosic finally joining Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet adds more excitement to the 2023-24 season for both fans and the experienced combo guard himself.
Teodosic, 36, officially returned to Serbia in July, following 17 years abroad, including two campaigns in the NBA. However, becoming a player of Zvezda was years in the making.
“We talked on multiple occasions. This year we reached an agreement,” he said referring to team president Nebojsa Covic in an interview shared through the official YouTube portal of the Belgrade outfit, “We needed only two minutes to agree.”
“Perhaps, this was the first time in my career that I did not have a contract. So, there was no hurdle to overcome,” added Teodosic.
Plenty of offseason moves for the Red-Whites, but landing the dazzling guard was a special attraction, topping the rest by a fair distance. And it will become even more special in the home opener against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne on October 5.
“It will certainly be emotional for me. I wanted this for a long time,” he commented on the first game in Stark Arena.
Nemanja Bjelica, Joel Bolomboy, Dejan Davidovac, Yago dos Santos, Rokas Giedraitis, Adam Hanga, Shabazz Napier, Marko Simonovic, and Mike Tobey shape the long list of summer signings for Zvezda to go with the contract extensions of Ognjen Kuzmic, Branko Lazic, Stefan Lazarevic, and Luka Mitrovic.
“The fans must be patient,” required Teodosic, “This is a new team.”
The NBA experiment
From Olympiacos and CSKA to Virtus Segafredo Bologna, the long stints in Greece, Russia, and Italy were separated by the NBA and the Los Angeles Clippers.
“I went to the NBA to see how I fit alongside the best players in the world,” noted Teodosic, “Maybe, I should have made the jump earlier in my career. My run would probably be different. But I don’t regret my decisions.”
Playing for the Clippers, he tallied 8.0 points, 4.0 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per contest over 60 appearances in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.