By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Khem Birch signed a one-year contract extension to stay with Fenerbahce Beko, the team announced on Sunday.
The 32-year-old Canadian center arrived in 2024 and helped the team based in Istanbul win the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, the Turkiye Sigorta Basketbol Super Ligi as the Most Valuable Player of the Finals, and the domestic Cup. Making his way to 36 games of Europe’s premier club continental competition, including 19 starts, he tallied 3.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.4 blocks per contest. He added 5.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per BSL game. The new deal retains him on the team coached by Sarunas Jasikevicius until the end of the 2025-26 journey.
Before joining his current team, Birch played for Olympiacos in the 2016-17 installment of the EuroLeague. Usak Sportif in the 2014-15 campaign and Girona down the stretch of the 2023-24 campaign were the other European stops of his career. In the NBA from 2017 to 2023, the native of Montreal logged 298 appearances between the Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors.
Earlier in the offseason, Fener re-signed Tarik Biberovic, Metecan Birsen, Melih Mahmutoglu, and Scottie Wilbekin, and added Mikael Jantunen. Wade Baldwin IV, Jilson Bango, Onuralp Bitim, Bonzie Colson, Mert Emre Eksioglu, Devon Hall, Nicolo Melli, and Arturs Zagars are also under contract for the next season, but more newcomers are expected until the top of the next edition of continental and domestic competitions, likely players emerging in the free-agent market of the NBA.