By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Kosner Baskonia confirmed on Wednesday that Rolands Smits has joined the club for the remainder of the 2026–27 season.
After days of speculation linking the Latvian center to Vitoria-Gasteiz, the Basque organization opted to add size to their roster ahead of a busy stretch of domestic and continental fixtures in the 2026–27 schedule.
The 31-year-old big now returns to the EuroLeague. Born in Valmiera and a regular fixture for Latvia’s senior national team, Smits arrives with 249 appearances across eight years in Europe’s premier club competition with FC Barcelona, Zalgiris, and Anadolu Efes. He is also back in Spain’s Liga Endesa after 253 games played, spread between Barca and Montakit Fuenlabrada.
Rolands Smits, nuevo jugador de Kosner Baskonia hasta final de temporada
🔗 https://t.co/h2YWPFNsGi
Ongi etorri, Rolands! 🔵 🔴 https://t.co/XXqtNU9uMr
— Kosner Baskonia (@Baskonia) November 11, 2026
Last winter with Efes, the 2.07-meter athlete tallied 6.7 points and 3.1 rebounds over 35 contests. The EuroCup Rising Star in 2017 began the current term in China with the Ningbo Rockets before finalizing his move back to Europe.
His new teammates are Damion Baugh, Chris Duarte, Kenneth Faried, Clement Frisch, Stefan Joksimovic, Rodions Kurucs, A.J. Lawson, Marcio Santos, Tadas Sedekerskis, Kobi Simmons, Matteo Spagnolo, and D.J. Stewart Jr.
Baskonia needed help inside. In the EuroLeague Regular Season, the team sits last at 1–9 alongside Armani Olimpia Milan, trailing the Play-In Showdown spots by five games.
Things look much better at the domestic level. Working under head coach Velimir Perasovic, the squad holds a 5–2 mark in the Liga Endesa Regular Season, good for a share of second place behind unbeaten Real Madrid.
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