Besiktas signs veteran big man Damir Markota

Besiktas JK Istanbul added to its frontcourt by signing experienced big man Damir Markota to a one-year contract. Markota (2.08 meters, 26 years old) is a veteran of seven Euroleague seasons with three different teams. Last season he averaged 4.7 points and 6 rebounds in seven Euroleague appearances for Union Olimpija. He ranked third in the regular season with his 76.9% two-point shooting percentage and his 15 rebounds pulled against Montepaschi Siena represented the third most of any player in a game all season. He left Olimpija midway through the season and finished the campaign with KK Zagreb in Croatia. Markota made his Euroleague debut – a 20-second appearance with Cibona Zagreb in the 2001-02 season – when he was 16. He returned two seasons later to score his first basket, and within two years was averaging 7.8 points and 5.1 rebounds for Cibona. His next stop was Milwaukee of the NBA and Tulsa of the NBA D-League. He returned to Europe to split the 2007-08 season with Spartak St. Petersburg of Russia and Zalgiris of Lithuania as a double-digit scorer in both places. From there he spent most of the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons in Spain, with Bizkaia Basket Bilbao, and reached the Eurocup Finals in the second season.
Courtesy: EuroLeague