BARCELONA — Toronto, New Jersey or Detroit. Those were several destinations on Bostjan Nachbar’s radar when he spoke to Sheridan Hoops in Lithuania this past September.
But Nachbar’s newest employers are not in the Eastern Conference; they are in western Russia.
UNICS Kazan announced today that the 31-year-old Slovenian forward had signed on for the rest of the season. Kazan will play its first Euroleague Top 16 game this Wednesday against Fenerbahce Ulker, and they hope Nachbar’s vast NBA and international experience can push them through to the quarterfinals.
The 15th overall selection in the 2002 NBA Draft, Nachbar spent six years in the league with Houston, New Orleans and New Jersey. Boki hopped back over to Europe for the 2008-09 season, earning All-Eurocup honors with Dynamo Moscow.
Nachbar has spent the past two seasons with Anadolu Efes in Istanbul, watching his numbers slide thanks to a smaller role and loose cartilage in his ankle which required surgery this past August.
Injury and age have sapped Boki of some bounce, but his international résumé speaks for itself: A Euroleague Final in 2002 with Benetton, two World Championships and three EuroBaskets with the Slovenian National Team.
Last season, UNICS Kazan won the Eurocup championship to qualify for a spot in the Euroleague. So far, they made the most of it: Kazan went 7-3 in the regular season on the shoulders of Henry Domercant, Terrel Lyday and a league best 41 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
But there’s room for more shoulders, and always room for more threes. Let’s see if Kazan’s Cinderella season has room for Boki’s comeback story.
For more news on Euroleague and European basketball, visit Nick Gibson’s Web site: EuroleagueAdventures.com.