By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Preparing to start the defense of the EuroLeague championship, Fenerbahce Beko welcomed Mikael Jantunen.
The 25-year-old Finnish forward penned a two-year contract, as announced on Thursday.
Following contract extensions for Metecan Birsen and Scottie Wilbekin, the athletic power forward was the first offseason signing for the team coached by Sarunas Jasikevicius. The newcomer will remain in the EuroLeague after averaging 7.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.2 blocks with Paris in his debut season, under the guidance of Tiago Splitter.
The native of Helsinki started his professional career with hometown HBA-Marsky in 2016. After two years of college basketball in the NCAA with Utah, he returned to Europe in 2021 and moved his talents to Filou Oostende in the Basketball Champions League. The list of achievements started growing with the Sixth Man of the Year award, combined with the BNXT League Belgian championship. The next stop was in Italy’s LBA UnipolSai with NutriBullet Treviso during his 2022-23 journey. Over the next two years with the team based in the French capital, he became BKT EuroCup and Leaders Cup champion in 2024, and Betclic Elite and Coupe de France champion in 2025.
His international career with Finland was upgraded to the senior level at the age of 18, in 2018. He has since played in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024 in Spain, FIBA World Cup 2023, and EuroBasket 2022, in addition to being capped in the Qualifiers of the 2019 and 2023 editions of the World Cup, and the 2022 and 2025 editions of the EuroBasket.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net