Mirotic joins Valencia Basket as a free agent

Valencia Basket has reached an agreement with Nikola Mirotic, a Montenegrin forward standing 2.08 meters tall, born in Podgorica on February 11, 1991, to join the taronja club for the 2026-27 season. The player, who is 35 years old, arrives as a free agent after terminating his contract with AS Monaco, where he played during the 2025-26 season.

During his time in Monaco, Mirotic accumulated outstanding figures in the top continental competition. In the EuroLeague Playoffs, he played 31 games, averaging 11 points with an effective 39.3% shooting from three-point range, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists, achieving a valuation of 12.7 per game. During the French regular season, his numbers were even stronger: 11.1 points with a 40.3% three-point shooting and 3.7 rebounds.

Mirotic's arrival at Valencia Basket solidifies an exceptional trajectory in EuroLeague that now reaches its thirteenth season in the highest category of continental basketball. His presence has been practically constant, interrupted only by his loan to Palencia at age 18 and his five seasons in the NBA from 2014 to 2019.

A EuroLeague Historic

Mirotic is a legend of European basketball with numbers that validate his career. Over 307 games in EuroLeague, he has averaged 14.4 points with a spectacular 39.9% from three-point range, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, accumulating 17.1 in valuation per game. He has qualified for the Final Four of the continental tournament six times, establishing himself as the fifth most valued player and the fifth highest scorer in the competition's history.

His trophy cabinet with clubs includes fifteen titles, having won the national league three times in Spain, once in Italy, and once in France. With the Spanish national team, he won gold at Eurobasket 2015 and bronze at the 2016 Olympic Games. Additionally, he boasts more than twenty individual awards and selections to the best teams in various competitions.

With his addition to Valencia Basket, Mirotic becomes the first player in the club's history to have been named in the NBA All-Rookie First Team (2014-15 season) and the first to arrive after being named MVP of the EuroLeague regular season, a title he received in 2022.

Training at Real Madrid

Nikola Mirotic Stajovic began his career in the youth academy of Real Madrid at age 14, where he developed his skills and made his first steps in professional basketball. This background grants him the status of a locally trained player for the Liga Endesa. He played his first professional minutes with the white team at Palau Blaugrana on March 4, 2009.

After a loan to Palencia, he returned to Real Madrid for a period during which he won one League, two Cups, and two Supercups. Individually, he was named MVP of the ACB in 2013, chosen twice as a EuroLeague Rising Star, and included twice in the Second Best Team of the top continental competition. In the 2011 draft, he was selected at position 23, and that same summer, he led Spain to gold at the under-20 European Championship, being named the tournament MVP.

NBA Experience and Return to Europe

The Chicago Bulls selected Mirotic in the NBA, giving him the opportunity to debut in the best league in the world. His performance was exceptional from the start: in the 2014-15 season, he entered the All-Rookie First Team. After three and a half seasons in Chicago, he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. Just a year later, in February 2019, he was sent to the Milwaukee Bucks. In his last NBA season, he averaged 15.2 points and 7.4 rebounds before deciding to return to EuroLeague.

FC Barcelona was the architect of his return to Europe. With the Catalan team, he spent four seasons winning two ACB leagues, two Cups, and one Supercup. Individually, he was awarded EuroLeague MVP in 2022, was included twice in the EuroLeague First Team (2021 and 2022), won another ACB MVP in 2020, and earned two Finals MVP awards (2021 and 2023). In his four years with Barcelona, he was selected to the ideal teams of the Liga Endesa, twice in the first and twice in the second.

After concluding his time in Barcelona, Mirotic signed a two-year contract with Olimpia Armani Milano, where he won one Italian League (being the Finals MVP) and one Supercup. When that contract expired, he joined AS Monaco for the 2025-26 season, helping the French team clinch the four titles at stake: Supercup, Leaders Cup, French Cup, and French League. Following the disappearance of the Monaco team from elite basketball, Mirotic continues his career in the top continental competition with Valencia Basket.

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