Will Shabazz Napier be FC Bayern Munich’s new playmaker? According to Donatas Urbonas (BasketNews), the player and club are nearing an agreement
The 33-year-old started last season at Crvena Zvezda, but returned to Olimpia Milano after a few months, where he had already played in 2023. The guard played 16 games for the Italians in the EuroLeague, in which he averaged 10.9 points and four assists in around 27 minutes.
Bayern lost three guards in the summer – Leandro Bolmaro, Sylvain Francisco and Nelson Weidemann – while only the young Israeli Yam Madar was signed from Fenerbahce. Nick Weiler-Babb and BBL Finals MVP Carsen Edwards, who extended his contract by a year in the summer, are also still in the squad.
Napier, on the other hand, did not receive a new contract in Milan; according to BasketNews, the veteran subsequently negotiated with Virtus Bologna without reaching an agreement
Shabazz Napier played six years in the NBA
Napier previously spent six years in the NBA, playing 345 games for six different teams. The Miami Heat drafted him 24th overall in 2014, after which Napier also played for the Orlando Magic, Portland Trail Blazers, Brooklyn Nets, Minnesota Timberwolves and the Washington Wizards in 2020.
After that, Napier no longer received an NBA contract, instead joining Zenit St. Petersburg, before leaving the country due to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and playing for the G-League team in Mexico City a few months later.
