Bogdan Bogdanovic about Fenerbahce: 'I hope our paths cross again' / News - Basketnews.com

"You can never know when (smiles)," Bogdanovic responded to the question of when he will return to Fenerbahce. "Hopefully, our paths cross again. I love them and I really miss them."

Credit: AFP, Reuters - Scanpix Credit AFP, Reuters - Scanpix

Atlanta Hawks shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic is in his sixth NBA season since leaving Europe in 2017 after four years spent at Partizan and three years at Fenerbahce.

Bogdan Bogdanovic

MIN:29.89PTS:17.42 (47.64%)REB:3.67As:2.25ST:0.75BL:0.25TO:1.58GM:12ProfileNBA2022/2023

Bogdanovic, 30, is well-aware of both basketball styles. He says practices, traveling, and fans are the main differences that separate EuroLeague and NBA.

"It's a completely different way of practicing," he pointed out in an interview with Trend Basket. "Here [in the NBA] it's more individual compared to Europe, where there are many team training sessions. There are more games here. In the EuroLeague, you can practice more stuff and when the game comes, you can be fresher and more ready for the match.

"Traveling was a huge NBA adjustment for me. I could not sleep in my first year at all. It was tough. It was really like back-to-back road trips for 14 days. There were times I thought I needed to practice, but sometimes you need to rest, you have just too many games. You always have to look ahead of schedule: day to day," Bogdanovic said.

"With the amount of talent and athleticism NBA has, the game is more entertaining here. But if you have an emotional value for the club and the team, Europe is more suitable. Fans are for the players here, they follow the player, 'Oh, I love this guy', meanwhile, in Europe, teams, coaches, and then players – that's the order," the Serbian player added.

After looking at the differences in basketball across the Atlantic, Bogdanovic then referred to FIBA EuroBasket 2022. Unfortunately, he was not able to help his country due to a knee injury that required surgery.

Without him, Serbia, a favorite of the tournament, topped its Group D, but surprisingly stumbled against Italy in the first playoff stage.

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul / Schedule

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade72-73 Virtus Segafredo Bologna Fenerbahce Beko IstanbulFri19:30

"Serbia was playing really well in the group phase. We did not relax, but Italians are experienced. In the last couple of years, they were playing really good basketball, modern basketball, shooting a lot of threes and they can beat anyone. And they almost went to the semifinals," Bogdanovic evaluated.

"It was interesting EuroBasket," he mentioned the general experience. "It showed that Spain still has culture and they are tough to beat. I think everyone kind of disrespected them because they did not bring the stars, I guess. But now, I am looking forward to the following competition, next year's World Cup. We will see."

Last but not least, Bogdan Bogdanovic was asked about his former team, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. The Serbian guard left Europe as a EuroLeague champion and the All-EuroLeague First-Team selection, doing it with none other than the Turkish giant.

Is Bogdanovic still following Fenerbahce?

"Yeah, I follow them whenever I can. They're playing well and have good chemistry. But it takes time… you can't always win, win, and win. I know, fans always expect you to win every single game, every championship, and every trophy. But it can't happen every year," he stressed and then said the concluding words.

"You can never know when (smiles)," Bogdanovic responded to the question of when he will return. "Hopefully, our paths cross again. I love them and I really miss them."

Part of the interview:

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