By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
On an international assignment, Fenerbahce Beko’s Onuralp Bitim suffered a right ankle injury. Following medical tests revealed a torn ligament, the Istanbul outfit announced on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old guard/forward was forced to an early exit from the meeting between Turkiye and Bosnia-Herzegovina in Istanbul’s Turkcell Basketball Development Center on Thursday. The injury seemed serious, as confirmed by head coach Ergin Ataman following Gameday 1 of Group C of the FIBA World Cup 2027 Europe Qualifiers.
Earlier last week, Bitim logged 13:24 in Round 13 of the 2025-26 EuroLeague Regular Season with Fener, tallying two points and two rebounds. Switching to the senior national team of his country, he lasted 13:59 with five points, three assists, and two rebounds until the setback and was eventually sidelined by the team coached by Sarunas Jasikevicius.
At the top of his third EuroLeague campaign, the native of Istanbul averaged 2.3 points, 1.1 rebounds, 0.3 assists, and 0.2 blocks per contest over 12 appearances, all off the bench. Combined with his spells at FC Bayern Munich and Anadolu Efes, he upped his games played total to 28. He is also a veteran of 23 NBA games with the Chicago Bulls.
Moving to Round 14 of the ongoing EuroLeague Regular Season, with the defending champions visiting Olympiacos in the Peace and Friendship Stadium on Thursday, Bitim joined Scottie Wilbekin (right knee) and Jilson Bango (left knee surgery) on the injury list.
On the opposite end, Frank Ntilikina is expected to return to action after left thigh discomfort. In contrast, Shaquielle McKissic (thigh), Keenan Evans (left leg), and Moustapha Fall (left knee) are out for head coach Giorgos Bartzokas.
Before the FIBA window, Fenerbahce and Olympiacos built an 8-5 record to enter a tie with four other teams between fourth and ninth on the EuroLeague standings.