Salah Mejri ( ar, صالح الماجري; born June 15, 1986) is a Tunisian 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 (appr ...

player for Beirut Club. He also represents the senior Tunisian national basketball team internationally. Standing at , he plays at the

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

position. After a successful career in Europe, Mejri was the first (and only) Tunisian

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

player when he joined 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 Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

in 2015 as a 29-year-old rookie. He stayed in the NBA for four seasons before returning with the Real Madrid in 2019 offseason.

Professional career

Early career

Mejri started playing basketball at the age of 20 for

Étoile Sportive du Sahel Étoile may refer to: Places ;France * Charles de Gaulle – Étoile, station of the Paris Métro * Étoile-Saint-Cyrice, commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in France * Étoile-sur-Rhône, commune in the Drôme department in France * L'Éto ...

in the

Tunisian Basketball League The Championnat Pro A (formerly known as the Championnat National A (CNA)) is the highest tier professional basketball league in Tunisia. The league is organised by the Tunisia Basketball Federation (FTBB). Established in 1956, the league currently ...

. In September 2010, he signed a two-year contract with the

Antwerp Giants Antwerp Giants, named Telenet Giants Antwerp for sponsorship reasons, are a Belgians, Belgian professional basketball club based in Antwerp. Their home arena is Lotto Arena. The club plays in the BNXT League, the highest tier of Belgian basketbal ...

of the

Belgian League The Belgian Pro League,(officially the Jupiler Pro League due to sponsorship reasons with Jupiler), is the top league competition for association football clubs in Belgium. Contested by 18 clubs since the 2020–21 Belgian First Division A, 2020 ...

, and in August 2012, he moved to the Spanish League to play with

Obradoiro CAB Obradoiro Clube de Amigos do Baloncesto (lit, Obradoiro Friends of Basketball Club), also known as Monbus Obradoiro for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball team based in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia. They currently compete in th ...

. In May 2013, he was named the Spanish League's Rising Star.

Real Madrid

On July 8, 2013, Mejri signed with the Spanish club

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

. He became the first Tunisian player in the history of Real Madrid and the EuroLeague. In the 2014–15 season, Real Madrid won the EuroLeague championship, after defeating

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...

, by a score of 78–59, in the

EuroLeague Finals The EuroLeague Finals are the championship finals of the EuroLeague competition. The EuroLeague is the highest level tier, and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe. Title holders * ......1958 Rīgas ASK * 1958� ...

. Real Madrid eventually finished the season by also winning the Spanish League championship, after defeating

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

3–0 in the league's finals series. Real Madrid thus won the

triple crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Trip ...

that season.

Dallas Mavericks

On July 30, 2015, Mejri signed with the

. On October 25, 2015, it was announced that Mejri had made the Mavericks' 2015–16 opening-night roster. Three days later, he made his debut for the Mavericks, becoming the first Tunisian to appear in an NBA game. He played in five of the team's first eight games to begin the season, before not playing again until January 13, 2016. With the team's regular starters all rested for their match-up with the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

, Mejri managed 25 minutes off the bench, and recorded 17 points and 9 rebounds in a 108–89 loss to the Thunder. On January 24, with starting center

Zaza Pachulia Zaza Pachulia ( ka, ზაზა ფაჩულია; born Zaur Pachulia; February 10, 1984) is a Georgian professional basketball executive and former player who is a basketball operations consultant for the Golden State Warriors of the Nati ...

out injured, Mejri made just his eighth appearance for the Mavericks and started in place of Pachulia. In 29 minutes of action, he recorded 10 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks in a 115–104 loss to 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 team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

. On March 20, he recorded 13 points, 14 rebounds and 6 blocks in 32 minutes off the bench in a 132–120 overtime win over the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. During his rookie season, he received multiple assignments to the

Texas Legends The Texas Legends are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Frisco, Texas, and are affiliated with the Dallas Mavericks. The Legends play their home games at the Comerica Center. The team began as the Colorado ...

, the Mavericks'

D-League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...

affiliate. On June 30, 2016, Mejri underwent arthroscopic surgery for a right knee debridement. On February 1, 2017, he had 16 points and a career-high 17 rebounds in a 113–95 win over the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

. He was re-signed by the Mavericks on August 3, 2018, to a one-year-contract. He was waived on February 7, 2019, to open up a roster spot for

Zach Randolph Zachary McKenley Randolph (born July 16, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Z-Bo", the 2-time NBA All-Star played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans before being drafted in the 2001 NBA draft by ...

who the Mavericks acquired in a trade, but brought back three days later after Randolph was waived.

Return to Real Madrid

On October 10, 2019, Mejri returned to

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

EuroLeague club

for the rest of the season. He did not play in the ACB final tournament and was replaced by Juan Nunez.

China

In September 2020, Mejri signed a one-year contract with

Beijing Royal Fighters The Beijing Royal Fighters () are a Chinese professional men's basketball team which is based in Beijing and plays in the Northern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Beijing BG (known in Chinese as Beijing Beikong) is the cl ...

Kuwait

On September 16, 2021, Mejri signed in Kuwait with

Al-Jahra Al Jahra ( ar, الجهراء) is a town and city located west of the centre of Kuwait City in Kuwait. Al Jahra is the capital of the Al Jahra Governorate of Kuwait as well as the surrounding Al Jahra District which is agriculturally based. Encyc ...

of the

Kuwaiti Division I Basketball League The Kuwaiti Division I Basketball League is the highest professional basketball league in Kuwait. The most decorated team in the league is Kuwait SC (basketball), Kuwait SC, who have won 7 titles. Teams *Al Kuwait SC (basketball), Al Kuwait SC *A ...

Beirut Club

On April 14, 2022, Mejri signed in Lebanon for Beirut Club of the

Lebanese Basketball League The Lebanese Basketball League is the top-tier professional men's basketball league in Lebanon. It is organized annually as a national championship with playoffs and a national cup by the Lebanese Basketball Federation (FLB). Currently, the leagu ...

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, 34 , , 6 , , 11.7 , , .628 , , .000 , , .587 , , 3.6 , , .3 , , .2 , , 1.1 , , 3.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 73 , , 11 , , 12.4 , , .642 , , .333 , , .590 , , 4.2 , , .2 , , .4 , , .8 , , 2.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 61 , , 1 , , 12.0 , , .642 , , .000 , , .576 , , 4.0 , , .6 , , .4 , , 1.1 , , 3.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 36 , , 4 , , 11.1 , , .491 , , .324 , , .625 , , 3.6 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .7 , , 3.9 , -class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 204 , , 22 , , 11.9 , , .603 , , .293 , , .590 , , 4.0 , , .5 , , .4 , , .9 , , 3.4

Playoffs

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, style="text-align:left;" ,

, 4 , , 1 , , 19.0 , , .700 , , .000 , , .417 , , 3.3 , , .3 , , .8 , , 1.3 , , 4.8 , -class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 4 , , 1 , , 19.0 , , .700 , , .000 , , .417 , , 3.3 , , .3 , , .8 , , 1.3 , , 4.8

EuroLeague

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, 26 , , 2 , , 10.1 , , .603 , , .667 , , .545 , , 2.9 , , .1 , , .4 , , 1.1 , , 3.5 , , 5.6 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2014–15† , 9 , , 0 , , 9.6 , , .600 , , .000 , , .476 , , 2.3 , , .1 , , .4 , , .8 , , 4.4 , , 4.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 35 , , 2 , , 10.0 , , .602 , , .500 , , .512 , , 2.8 , , .1 , , .4 , , 1.0 , , 3.7 , , 5.4

National team career

Mejri is a member of the senior men's Tunisian national basketball team. He played center for the team in the 2009 FIBA Africa Championship, and helped the team to the bronze medal, and its first-ever trip to the

FIBA World Cup The FIBA Basketball World Cup, also known as the FIBA World Cup of Basketball or simply the FIBA World Cup, between 1950 and 2010 known as the FIBA World Championship, is an international basketball competition contested by the senior men's nat ...

. In 2011, Mejri was named

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

, as Tunisia won the

2011 FIBA Africa Championship AfroBasket 2011 was the 26th FIBA Africa Championship, played under the auspices of the Fédération Internationale de Basketball, the basketball sport governing body, and the African zone thereof. At stake is the berth allocated to Africa in th ...

, and received an invitation to the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. There, the team finished 0–5; however, he led all competitors in

blocked shots In basketball, a block or blocked shot occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a field goal attempt from an offensive player to prevent a score. The defender is not allowed to make contact with the offensive player's hand (unless the de ...

, with 17, despite only playing in 5 matches (some teams played in as many as 8 matches).

References

External links

*
Salah Mejri
at acb.com
Salah Mejri
at euroleague.net *

at fiba.com (game-center) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mejri, Salah 1986 births Living people Tunisian Muslims 2010 FIBA World Championship players 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup players Antwerp Giants players Al-Jahra SC basketball players Basketball players at the 2012 Summer Olympics Centers (basketball) Competitors at the 2013 Mediterranean Games Dallas Mavericks players Étoile Sportive du Sahel basketball players Liga ACB players Mediterranean Games bronze medalists for Tunisia Mediterranean Games medalists in basketball Obradoiro CAB players Olympic basketball players of Tunisia People from Jendouba Governorate Beirut Club players Real Madrid Baloncesto players Texas Legends players Tunisian expatriate basketball people in Belgium Tunisian expatriate basketball people in Spain Tunisian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Tunisian men's basketball players Undrafted National Basketball Association players Expatriate basketball people in the United States Tunisian expatriate basketball people in Kuwait