Kenan Sipahi

Kenan Sipahi (Albanian: Kenan Spahiu, born May 26, 1995) is a Kosovar-Turkish professional basketball player for Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Basketball Super League and the EuroLeague. The point guard of Albanian descent stands at 6 ft 5.75 in (1.97 m).

Kenan Sipahi
Sipahi with the Fenerbahçe in December 2013
No. 25 – Fenerbahçe Beko
PositionPoint guard
LeagueTurkish Basketball Super League
EuroLeague
Personal information
Born (1995-05-26) May 26, 1995
Pristina, FR Yugoslavia
NationalityAlbanian / Turkish
Listed height6 ft 5.75 in (1.97 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2017 / Undrafted
Playing career2010–present
Number25
Career history
2010–2013Tofaş
2013–2016Fenerbahçe
2015–2016→Karşıyaka
2016–2019Beşiktaş
2019–2020Real Betis
2020–presentFenerbahçe Beko
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Turkey
European U-18 Championship
2013 LatviaU-18 Team
2011 PolandU-18 Team
European U-16 Championship
2010 MontenegroU-16 Team

Early years

Sipahi started playing basketball in Prishtina at the age of 9 and quickly became a top-level prospect in Turkey at 15.

Professional career

He made his professional debut in the Turkish League with Tofaş Bursa during the 2010–11 season. He was already playing regularly at the age of 16.

Sipahi made his breakthrough in a 2012–13 season. He played plenty of minutes in the league and EuroChallenge. On January 15, 2013, he scored a game winning three-pointer against Khimik. He averaged 7 points and 2.7 assists in 32 league games.

On September 2, 2013, he signed a three-year contract with option to extend for one season with Fenerbahçe.[1][2] At the age of 19, he made the roster of Fenerbahçe in the Euroleague. In February 2014, he had season-ending injury, after breaking his arm in Turkish Cup game against Trabzonspor.[3] In his first Euroleague season with the team, he averaged 2.7 points, 1.1 assists and 1 rebound over 15 games.

On September 30, 2015, he was loaned to Karşıyaka for one season.[4] Over the season, he averaged 7.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in the Turkish League, while also having career-high averages of 5.3 points and 3.7 assists in the Euroleague. On July 1, 2016, he was released from Fenerbahçe.[5]

On July 13, 2016, Sipahi signed a one-year contract with Beşiktaş.[6] On July 18, 2017, he re-signed with Beşiktaş for two more seasons.[7] On August 6, 2019, Sipahi signed a two-year deal with Spanish club Coosur Real Betis.[8]

On July 16, 2020, he has signed with Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Basketball Super League.[9]

Turkish national team

Sipahi is a regular Turkish youth national team player. He helped Turkey's U-18 national team win the gold medal at the 2013 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, where he was named to the MVP and All-Tournament Team, averaging 10.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists. Also he played at the EuroBasket 2017 with Turkey's men's basketball national team

Personal life

Sipahi is fluent in Turkish, Albanian, Serbian and English languages.[10]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high

Note: The EuroLeague is not the only competition in which the player participated for the team during the season. He also played in domestic competition, and regional competition if applicable.

Euroleague
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2013–14 Fenerbahçe 15812.6.517.364.7001.01.1.5.12.72.1
2014–15 22119.8.318.192.750.8.7.4.01.6.2
2015–16 Karşıyaka 10518.9.358.200.6881.13.7.9.05.36.1
Career 472412.6.381.228.700.91.4.5.02.82.0

Accomplishments and awards

Individual

References
  1. "Fenerbahce Ulker sign Kenan Sipahi". sportando.net. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  2. "Fenerbahçe Ülker'de 3 yeni isim". fenerbahce.org (in Turkish). 2 July 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  3. "Fenerbahce Ulker loses Sipahi for 3 months". euroleague.net. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  4. "Fenerbahce officially loans Kenan Sipahi to Pinar Karsiyaka". sportando.com. 30 September 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  5. "Infırmation about Kenan Sipahi contract". Retrieved 2016-07-01.
  6. "Kenan Sipahi Beşiktaş Sompo Japan'da". bjk.com.tr (in Turkish). 13 September 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  7. Besiktas Sompo Japan re-sign Kenan Sipahi for two seasons
  8. "Kenan Sipahi signs with Real Betis". Sportando. 6 August 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  9. "Fenerbahce welcomes back Sipahi". Eurobasket. July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  10. "Pričaj srpski da te turski košarkaš razume: Kenan Sipahi o duelu sa Srbijom #EuroBasket2017". youtube.com. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
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