Bjelica announced his retirement after a 20-year professional career, with seven spent in the NBA. The 35th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, he debuted with the Timberwolves in 2015. Throughout seven seasons, he appeared in 449 games, averaging 7.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in a little over 20 minutes. A member of Golden State’s 2022 NBA champion squad, Bjelica played his last season of professional basketball with Fenerbahce in Turkey.

After spending the 2021-22 season with the Warriors, Bjelica agreed to a two-year deal with Fenerbahce. However, after a calf injury limited the veteran big man to nine games, the club decided that he was not in their plans for the 2023-24 campaign. With that being the case, Bjelica is reported returning to Cverna Zvezda, a club he played for from 2008 to 2010 before being drafted in the second round of the 2010 NBA Draft by the Wizards.

The Warriors did have interest in bringing Bjelica back on the veteran minimum, but now he’s leaving the NBA entirely. Bjelica just won a championship with the Dubs, but he’ll now be taking his talents to one of Turkey’s top basketball clubs, the same one where he previously played from 2013-2015 before leaving Europe for the NBA. Currently 34 years of age, one has to wonder if Game 5 of the Finals was the last we’ll see of Bjelica in the NBA. The Warriors should be alright without him.

Bjelica had been a non-factor, even with the Warriors constantly resting their veteran players, but that was not the case in this one. He tallied just his third double-double of the season in this one that will likely go down as his best game of the season unless he can top it in the final three games. We certainly aren’t betting on that though, so no need to overreact to this performance. Jonathan Kuminga chipped in 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting (2-of-3 3-pointers) to go with five rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block in 30 minutes.