Mirza Teletović

Mirza Teletović

Teletović with the Nets
No. 35 – Phoenix Suns
Position Power forward
League NBA
Personal information
Born (1985-09-17) September 17, 1985
Mostar, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia
Nationality Bosnian
Listed height 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight 242 lb (110 kg)
Career information
NBA draft 2007 / Undrafted
Playing career 2002–present
Career history
2002–2004 Sloboda Tuzla (Bosnia & Herzegovina)
2004–2006 Telindus Oostende (Belgium)
2006–2012 Saski Baskonia (Spain)
2012–2015 Brooklyn Nets
2015–present Phoenix Suns
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Mirza Teletović (born September 17, 1985) is a Bosnian professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents and captains the Bosnia and Herzegovina national basketball team. Standing at 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), he plays at the power forward position.

Early life

Teletović lived in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Bosnian War of the 1990s. He grew up in Mostar, a city the subject to an 18-month siege when he was a child. When Teletović shared his account of the war, he said,

I was seven years old when the war started. First you start seeing that there's no food, then grenades come down, the whole city is shaking, and you hear people screaming. Every day, your parents come in and say 'our neighbor died, our cousin died'. Always somebody dying. One day, I asked my mother, 'Is anybody alive?' It was very, very rough for us. It left, I will say, a memory...All my friends and me are playing [basketball] and then you hear the sirens like the grenades start falling down and just run to your house and hide. If I have to die, I die. For basketball, I will do anything.[1]

As a youth, Teletović spent some of his time playing soccer, as well as learning kickboxing and karate. However, he felt most comfortable with playing basketball, as he played the sport at a local basketball court not far from his home.[2][3]

Professional career

Europe

Sloboda Tuzla

Teletović made his professional debut with the club Sloboda Tuzla, of the Basketball Championship of Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the 2002–03 season. In his first season with the club, he averaged 7.2 points and 2.7 rebounds per game, while in his second season, he increased his stats to 26.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game over 17 games in the league.[4]

Telindus Oostende

In 2004, Teletović moved to the Belgian Basketball League club Telindus Oostende and stayed for two seasons. He also played in Europe's second-tier level, continental-wide ULEB Cup competition, averaging 6.7 points and 2 rebounds.

Saski Baskonia

He then joined the Euroleague club Saski Baskonia (known as Tau Cerámica at the time), of the Spanish ACB League, in 2006. He played his first game in the Spanish League on October 1, 2006, in a game against Pamesa, where they won on the road by 95–94.[5] In his first season in Euroleague, Europe's first-tier level, continental-wide competition, he averaged 5.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. He declared eligible for the 2007 NBA Draft, but went undrafted.

In the next three seasons with the Spanish club, he became a starting player, and eventually became the captain of Baskonia, and one of the cornerstones of the team. In 2008, he won the Spanish League Rising Star Award. A year later, in 2009, when the club became known as Caja Laboral, he was named the MVP of the mid-season three game Spanish King's Cup tournament.[6]

Over 10 games in the 2011–12 Euroleague season, he averaged a career-high 21.7 points and 6 rebounds per game. However, Caja Laboral didn't reach the Top 16 round. In June 2012, Teletović reached a contract buyout agreement with Baskonia, for an amount of €2 million, in order to play the next year in the NBA.[7]

NBA

Brooklyn Nets

On July 16, 2012, Teletović signed a three-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets.[8][9] He made his NBA debut on November 5, 2012 in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. On March 1, 2013, Nets head coach P. J. Carlesimo said that he intended to put Teletović in the Nets rotation, along with giving him consistent minutes.[10] He went on to tie his season-high of 14 points against the Washington Wizards in the team's second last game of the season on April 15. He managed just one playoff appearance for the Nets in their 4–3 first round series loss to the Chicago Bulls.[11]

On November 29, 2013, Teletović recorded his first career double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds against the Houston Rockets. On January 24, 2014, he scored a career-high 34 points in a 107–106 win over the Dallas Mavericks.[12] On February 2, 2014, he recorded his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds against the New Orleans Pelicans.[13]

On December 3, 2014, Teletović scored a season-high 26 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds in a 95–93 overtime win over the San Antonio Spurs.[14] On January 23, 2015, he was ruled out for the rest of the 2014–15 season after he was diagnosed with bilateral pulmonary embolus.[15] He made an earlier than expected return for the Nets on April 22, playing four minutes and grabbing two rebounds in Game 2 of the team's first-round series loss to the Atlanta Hawks.[16]

On June 18, 2015, the Nets tendered a qualifying offer worth $4.21 million to make Teletović a restricted free agent. However, on July 9, the Nets withdrew their qualifying offer and parted ways with him.[17]

Phoenix Suns

On July 17, 2015, Teletović signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Phoenix Suns.[18][19] He made his debut for the Suns in the team's season opener against the Dallas Mavericks on October 28, recording 5 points and 5 rebounds in a 111–95 loss.[20] On November 29, he scored a season-high 20 points off the bench in a 107–102 win over the Toronto Raptors.[21] He tied his season-high on December 7, scoring 20 points, including a go-ahead basket with 0.3 seconds left, to cap the Suns' furious fourth-quarter rally from 16 down in a 103–101 win over the Chicago Bulls.[22] On December 16, he surpassed that mark, scoring a team-high 24 points in a loss to the Golden State Warriors.[23] On January 12, 2016, he reached double figures for a career-best sixth straight game, scoring 19 points in a loss to the Indiana Pacers.[24] On February 19, he scored a season-high 25 points in a loss to the Houston Rockets.[25] Six days later, he topped that mark with 30 points in a loss to his former team, the Brooklyn Nets.[26] On March 23, in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Teletović set a Suns single-season record for most three-pointers made off the bench, surpassing Danny Ainge's 150 made three-pointers during the 1992–93 season.[27] On April 5, in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Teletović set an NBA single-season record for most three-pointers made off the bench, surpassing Chuck Person's 164 made three-pointers during the 1994–95 season with the San Antonio Spurs.[28] Teletović finished the season with a 181 three-pointers, with 179 made while coming off the bench.[29]

Bosnian national team

Teletović has been capped with the senior men's national basketball team of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He has played at the EuroBasket 2003, EuroBasket 2005, EuroBasket 2011, and Eurobasket 2013. In the EuroBasket 2011 tournament, he averaged 13.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, however, Bosnia and Herzegovina finished in 17th place out of 24 teams in the tournament.[30]

In the Eurobasket 2013 qualification, he averaged 24.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Bosnia and Herzegovina finished first in group D in front of Georgia. During the final tournament, Teletović averaged 21.0 points, 7.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game, with both points and rebounds per game being career highs for Teletović at the Eurobasket. Bosnia and Herzegovina was not able to advance to the second round despite its 3–2 record, leading to a 13th-placed finish.

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high

Note: The Euroleague is not the only competition in which the player participated for the team during the season. He also played in domestic competition, and regional competition if applicable.

NBA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2012–13 Brooklyn 53 0 9.4 .384 .343 .818 1.8 .4 .2 .2 3.5
2013–14 Brooklyn 72 7 19.4 .418 .390 .710 3.7 .8 .4 .3 8.6
2014–15 Brooklyn 40 4 22.3 .382 .321 .717 4.9 1.2 .4 .4 8.5
2015–16 Phoenix 79 1 21.3 .427 .393 .774 3.8 1.1 .4 .3 12.2
Career 244 12 18.3 .412 .375 .752 3.5 .9 .4 .3 8.7

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2013 Brooklyn 1 0 1.0 .000 .000 .000 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0
2014 Brooklyn 12 0 18.3 .439 .339 .667 3.3 .3 .4 .2 8.3
2015 Brooklyn 3 0 5.3 .000 .000 .000 1.3 .0 .3 .0 .0
Career 16 0 14.8 .414 .317 .667 2.8 .2 .4 .1 6.2

Euroleague

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2006–07 Baskonia 24 6 15.1 .374 .328 .792 2.8 .6 .5 .3 5.3 5.0
2007–08 Baskonia 25 24 27.2 .485 .433 .692 4.4 .4 .5 .5 10.5 9.2
2008–09 Baskonia 21 6 26.3 .535 .421 .750 3.7 .6 .4 .3 13.0 11.0
2009–10 Baskonia 20 18 30.1 .450 .436 .737 4.5 1.1 .5 .2 14.8 13.3
2010–11 Baskonia 20 17 34.1 .412 .360 .679 5.5 .8 .6 .5 15.4 13.1
2011–12 Baskonia 10 10 34.4 .437 .431 .700 6.0 1.2 .5 1.0 21.7 20.7
Career 120 81 26.8 .451 .405 .718 4.3 .7 .6 .5 12.4 11.0

Personal life

Teletović is a Muslim.[31] He and his wife, Maja, have four children.[32]

Awards and accomplishments

Club honours

Individual

NBA record

References

  1. ↑ "For Mirza Teletovic, basketball is a game, not war ... and he knows the difference". netsdaily.com. SBnation.
  2. ↑ Coro, Paul (September 18, 2015). "Suns newcomer Teletovic rebounds from adversity". AZ Central. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Mirza Teletovic: Survivor of War, Sickness, and Basketball". nba.com/suns. National Basketball Association. September 17, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Mirza Teletovic Draft 2007". NBA.com. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  5. ↑ "Spanish League, Game 1: September 30 – October 1, 2006". Euroleague. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  6. ↑ "Teletovic, MVP de la Copa del Rey". Libertad Digital Deportes (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 June 2012.
  7. ↑ "Caja Laboral and Mirza Teletovic agreed to the NBA buyout amount". Sportando. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  8. ↑ "Brooklyn Nets Sign Mirza Teletovic". NBA.com. July 16, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Nets add to roster, bring in European forward Teletovic". NBA.com. July 13, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  10. ↑ Bondy, Stefan (March 1, 2013). "PJ Carlesimo: Mirza Teletovic "is the biggest piece we have to address."". nydailynews.com. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  11. ↑ Mirza Teletovic 2012-13 Game Log
  12. ↑ Notebook: Nets 107, Mavericks 106
  13. ↑ Mirza Teletovic 2013-14 Game Log
  14. ↑ Nets win in OT, snap Spurs' 8-game winning streak
  15. ↑ Mirza Teletovic Medical Update - 01/23/15
  16. ↑ Millsap scores 19, Hawks hold off Nets 96-91 for 2-0 lead
  17. ↑ Nets Rescind Qualifying Offer To Mirza Teletovic
  18. ↑ "Suns Sign Teletovic, Weems, Price". NBA.com. July 17, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  19. ↑ Mirza Teletovic to sign with Suns
  20. ↑ "8 Dallas players reach double figures, Mavs rout Suns 111-95". NBA.com. October 28, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Eric Bledsoe powers Suns past Raptors, 107-102". NBA.com. November 29, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Teletovic, Knight rally Suns past Bulls, 103-101". NBA.com. December 7, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Thompson's 27-point third quarter leads Warriors past Suns". NBA.com. December 16, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Pacers pull away in fourth, beat Suns 116-97". NBA.com. January 12, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  25. ↑ "James Harden leads Rockets past free-falling Suns, 116-100". NBA.com. February 19, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Bogdanovic, Nets top Suns in battle of lowly teams". NBA.com. February 25, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  27. ↑ "@Teletovic33 has now set a new @Suns single-...". Twitter. March 23, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Mirza Teletovic sets NBA record for most 3-pointers in a season by a reserve". ArizonaSports.com. April 5, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  29. ↑ "Teletovic's 22 leads Suns past Clippers reserves, 114-105". NBA.com. April 13, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  30. ↑ "Mirza Teletovic | EuroBasket 2011". FIBA Europe. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  31. ↑ Nets Find Family Time Amid NBA Schedule
  32. ↑ Mirza Teletovic's wife gave birth to twin babies; So, you know, congratulate them!

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