By Nikola Miloradovic / info@eurohoops.net
Anadolu Efes General Manager Alper Yilmaz spoke to S Sport about Shane Larkin’s departure, describing the club legend as one of the most important figures in Efes history while denying reports that the Turkish club would cover part of the guard’s salary at his new team.
Yilmaz revealed that the decision to part ways came from Larkin himself.
“I still remember the day we signed Shane Larkin and how happy I was during that phone call. Beyond being a great basketball player, he is a very special person to me. We had the chance to work together for eight years, both with the national team and Anadolu Efes.
At the end of the season, through his agent, he told us that he needed a change and wanted to leave the club. We believed it wouldn’t be right for either side to force a player to stay if he no longer wanted to.”
The Efes executive stressed that Larkin’s legacy at the club is unquestionable.
“Shane made tremendous sacrifices for this club. He played through injuries, achieved historic success and broke records. He was one of the main architects of our two EuroLeague titles and will always be remembered as one of the greatest players in our club’s history.”
Yilmaz also explained how the club handled Larkin’s departure from a contractual standpoint.
“Being understanding and being professional are two different things. We couldn’t accept a departure that would harm the club. We informed both Shane and his agent that he could leave without a buyout if he moved abroad, but if he joined another Turkish club, a buyout would have to be paid.”
According to Yilmaz, Larkin chose to continue his career in Turkey, and the required buyout was paid.
“Through his agent, he informed us that he wanted to join a team in Turkey. Since that club hasn’t officially announced the signing yet, I won’t mention its name. The buyout was paid, and Shane Larkin became a free agent.”
Yilmaz also firmly denied speculation that Anadolu Efes would contribute to Larkin’s salary at his new club.
“That never happened. There has been a lot of discussion on social media, but the claims that Anadolu Efes would pay part of Shane Larkin’s salary are completely false.”
He added that Nick Weiler-Babb left under similar circumstances by activating the exit clause in his contract and paying the required buyout.
“Nick Weiler-Babb also wanted to leave for family reasons and exercised the exit clause in his contract by paying the buyout. Shane Larkin also wanted to terminate his contract and did so by paying the required buyout. From the very beginning, there was never any scenario in which Anadolu Efes would cover part of either player’s salary. In fact, we never even discussed such a possibility with the club involved.”
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