Mirza Teletović (born September 18, 1985) is a Bosnian former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player who was the president of the Basketball Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2018 to 2022. As a player, he spent six seasons in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). He also represented and captained the

Bosnia and Herzegovina national basketball team The Bosnia and Herzegovina men's national basketball team (Bosnian language, Bosnian: ''Košarkaška reprezentacija Bosne i Hercegovine'' / Кошаркашка репрезентација Босне и Херцеговине) represents Bosnia ...

. Standing at , he played at the

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers and are typi ...

position. Teletović started his career in Bosnia with Sloboda Tuzla, which was followed by a stint in Belgium with Oostende. He played six years for Saski Baskonia, with whom he won two

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...

championships. He was also named to the All-ACB Team in 2012. Then, he played five seasons in the NBA for the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), ...

, Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks. On September 27, 2018, Teletović announced his retirement after suffering a career-ending pulmonary embolism injury during his tenure with the Bucks and then got waived in March 2018, removing his final year of his contract in December of that same year.

Early life

Teletović lived in

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

during the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

of the 1990s. His parents are from Jablanica in the

Herzegovina Herzegovina ( or ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Hercegovina, separator=" / ", Херцеговина, ) is the southern and smaller of two main geographical Regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Bosnia (reg ...

region. He grew up in Mostar, a city which suffered an 18-month siege when he was a child during the

. 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 asketballand 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.

As a youth, Teletović spent some of his time playing

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

, 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.

Professional career

Europe

Sloboda Tuzla (2002–2004)

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.

Telindus Oostende (2004–2006)

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 (2006–2012)

He 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. 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. 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 did not 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.

NBA

Brooklyn Nets (2012–2015)

Teletović with the Nets in March 2013 On July 16, 2012, Teletović signed a three-year deal with the

. 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. 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. On November 29, 2013, Teletović recorded his first career double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds against the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

. On January 24, 2014, he scored a career-high 34 points in a 107–106 win over the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

. On February 2, 2014, he recorded his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds against the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

. 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 The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. On January 23, 2015, he was ruled out for the rest of the 2014–15 season after he was diagnosed with bilateral pulmonary embolus. 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 The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

. 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.

Phoenix Suns (2015–2016)

On July 17, 2015, Teletović signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Phoenix Suns. 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. On November 29, he scored a season-high 20 points off the bench in a 107–102 win over the Toronto Raptors. 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. On December 16, he surpassed that mark, scoring a team-high 24 points in a loss to the Golden State Warriors. 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. On February 19, he scored a season-high 25 points in a loss to the Houston Rockets. Six days later, he topped that mark with 30 points in a loss to his former team, the Brooklyn Nets. On March 23, in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Teletović set the Suns' single-season record for most three-pointers made off the bench, surpassing

Danny Ainge Daniel Ray Ainge ( ; born March 17, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and professional baseball player who serves as the chief executive officer for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NB ...

's 150 made three-pointers during the 1992–93 season. On April 5, in a loss to the

, 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

. His record was broken the following season by Eric Gordon. Teletović finished the season with a 181 three-pointers, with 179 made while coming off the bench.

Milwaukee Bucks (2016–2018)

On July 8, 2016, Teletović signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks. On November 5, 2016, he scored 22 points and matched his career high with seven three-pointers in a 117–91 win over the Sacramento Kings. Teletović saw an expanded role in the wake of Michael Beasley sustaining a knee injury in late February 2017. However, Teletović sustained a slight hamstring injury in March 2017, but returned quickly and saw expanded minutes. Teletović appeared in the first 10 games of the 2017–18 season for the Bucks before being ruled out for four weeks on November 21 after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to repair cartilage in his left knee. On December 14, 2017, he was sidelined further as a result of pulmonary emboli in both lungs. Teletović's condition was discovered when consulting with Bucks team physicians after he experienced unusual fatigue earlier in the week. On March 10, 2018, he was waived by the Bucks. On December 21, 2018, the Bucks' request to remove Teletovic's salary from their books for a career-ending injury was granted by the NBA.

Retirement

On September 27, 2018, Teletović announced his retirement, and revealed that he would start working at the Basketball Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, he came out of retirement in 2021 to join local team KK Turbina.

National team career

Teletović played for the national basketball team of

. 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. In the EuroBasket 2013 qualification, Teletović averaged 24.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game and helped Bosnia and Herzegovina finished first in group D. 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. In the EuroBasket 2017 qualification, he averaged 17.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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, 53 , , 0 , , 9.4 , , .384 , , .343 , , .818 , , 1.8 , , .4 , , .2 , , .2 , , 3.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 72 , , 7 , , 19.4 , , .418 , , .390 , , .710 , , 3.7 , , .8 , , .4 , , .3 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 40 , , 4 , , 22.3 , , .382 , , .321 , , .717 , , 4.9 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , .4 , , 8.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 79 , , 1 , , 21.3 , , .427 , , .393 , , .774 , , 3.8 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , .3 , , 12.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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, 70 , , 2 , , 16.2 , , .373 , , .341 , , .778 , , 2.3 , , .7 , , .2 , , .2 , , 6.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 10 , , 0 , , 15.9 , , .439 , , .467 , , – , , 2.3 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .1 , , 7.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 324 , , 14 , , 17.8 , , .406 , , .371 , , .755 , , 3.2 , , .8 , , .3 , , .3 , , 8.1

Playoffs

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, 1 , , 0 , , 1.0 , , – , , – , , – , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 12 , , 0 , , 18.3 , , .439 , , .339 , , .667 , , 3.3 , , .3 , , .4 , , .2 , , 8.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015 , style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 0 , , 5.3 , , .000 , , .000 , , – , , 1.3 , , .0 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017 , style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 0 , , 9.0 , , .167 , , .250 , , – , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .3 , , .0 , , 1.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 19 , , 0 , , 13.9 , , .398 , , .313 , , .667 , , 2.5 , , .2 , , .4 , , .1 , , 5.4

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2006–07 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="6", Baskonia , 24 , , 6 , , 15.1 , , .374 , , .328 , , .792 , , 2.8 , , .6 , , .5 , , .3 , , 5.3 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2007–08 , style="background:#CFECEC;", 25* , , 24 , , 27.2 , , .485 , , .433 , , .692 , , 4.4 , , .4 , , .5 , , .5 , , 10.5 , , 9.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2008–09 , 21 , , 6 , , 26.3 , , .535 , , .421 , , .750 , , 3.7 , , .6 , , .4 , , .3 , , 13.0 , , 11.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009–10 , 20 , , 18 , , 30.1 , , .450 , , .436 , , .737 , , 4.5 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , .2 , , 14.8 , , 13.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2010–11 , 20 , , 17 , , 34.1 , , .412 , , .360 , , .679 , , 5.5 , , .8 , , .6 , , .5 , , 15.4 , , 13.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , 10 , , 10 , , 34.4 , , .437 , , .431 , , .700 , , 6.0 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , 1.0 , , 21.7 , , 20.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 120 , , 81 , , 26.8 , , .451 , , .405 , , .718 , , 4.3 , , .7 , , .6 , , .5 , , 12.4 , , 11.0

Personal life

Teletović is an ethnic

Bosniak The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...

. He has four children with his wife Maja.Mirza Teletovic's wife gave birth to twin babies; So, you know, congratulate them!
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Awards and accomplishments

Club honours

* Basketball League Belgium Champion: (2006) *3× Spanish Supercup Winner: ( 2006, 2007, 2008) *2× Spanish ACB League Champion: ( 2008,

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

) *2× EuroLeague Final Four Participation: ( 2007, 2008) * Spanish King's Cup Winner: (

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

)

Individual

* ACB Rising Star Award: ( 2008) * Spanish King's Cup MVP: (

) * All-ACB Team: (

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

) * Bosnia and Herzegovina Sportsperson of the Year (2012)

NBA record

*Most three-pointers made while coming off the bench in a single season (179): ( 2016) **Was broken by Eric Gordon the following season

References

External links

Mirza Teletović
at acb.com
Mirza Teletović
at euroleague.net

at fiba.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Teletovic, Mirza 1985 births Living people Basketball players from Mostar BC Oostende players Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate basketball people in the United States Bosnia and Herzegovina men's basketball players 21st-century Bosnia and Herzegovina sportsmen Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina Brooklyn Nets players Liga ACB players KK Sloboda Tuzla players Milwaukee Bucks players NBA players from Bosnia and Herzegovina Phoenix Suns players Power forwards Saski Baskonia players Undrafted NBA players