Besiktas Istanbul returns to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague in the 2026/27 season with a deep roster rebuild. The Turkish club has no recent EuroLeague performance data available in the current editorial cycle, but it does have an official 15-man roster confirmed for the tip-off and an early schedule that mixes home games with trips to Israel, Spain and Germany.
The project aims to combine EuroLeague experience with players who already know the European rhythm and fresh signings. In that context, Besiktas enters the season as a team still finding its collective identity in the opening weeks of the competition.
Starting point
Besiktas Istanbul enters EuroLeague 2026/27 without available statistical reference from the previous season in the competition. That leaves the team in relative uncertainty: its level will have to be measured on the court, not on recent EuroLeague history. What is clear is its confirmed status for the active season and its first European assignment on 25 September 2026 against Valencia Basket in Istanbul.
Roster changes
The roster overhaul is extensive. Among the effective moves since 1 July 2026, the arrivals of Scottie Wilbekin and Metecan Birsen from Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Eugene Omoruyi from Kosner Baskonia, Wenyen Gabriel from FC Bayern Munich and Ante Zizic stand out. Signings also include Devon Dotson, David DeJulius, Berk Ugurlu, Conor Morgan, Furkan Korkmaz, Vitto Brown, Anthony Brown, DaQuan Jeffries, Jaylen Nowell and Mady Sissoko.
The roster blends point guards such as Dotson, DeJulius and Ugurlu; shooting guards like Wilbekin and Nowell; forwards including Jeffries, Anthony Brown, Birsen and Korkmaz; and a crowded frontcourt with Omoruyi, Gabriel, Zizic, Morgan, Vitto Brown and Sissoko. In recent competitive context outside the club, Furkan Korkmaz averaged 6.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists in five games with Turkey at the 2026/27 FIBA World Cup, while Wenyen Gabriel posted 7.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in three games with South Sudan in the same tournament.
Identity and strengths
Besiktas profiles as a team with multiple perimeter options and frontcourt depth. Wilbekin brings a shooter with EuroLeague experience and Istanbul derby know-how from the Turkish environment.
Inside, Ante Zizic and Wenyen Gabriel offer complementary profiles: an experienced EuroLeague center and a mobile big man with recent minutes at top EuroLeague clubs.
Mixing local players such as Berk Ugurlu, Metecan Birsen and Furkan Korkmaz with imports from Baskonia, Bayern and the Turkish ecosystem could help build a competitive identity if the coaching staff settles rotations and roles early.
Risks
The main unknown is the lack of recent statistical continuity for the club in EuroLeague within the available context. A roster with so many new faces requires tactical adaptation and chemistry, especially in a crowded frontcourt where minute distribution will be decisive.
The opening schedule offers little margin. After hosting Valencia, Besiktas travels to Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv, hosts Barça and visits Kosner Baskonia, the club Omoruyi left. That sequence can accelerate judgment on the project if results lag.
Expectations and reasoned outlook
From an editorial standpoint, Besiktas Istanbul should aim to establish itself in the lower-middle tier of the standings on its return, provided it finds perimeter consistency and interior defensive reliability. It does not look reasonable to place the team among play-in favourites in September, but it can be among sides capable of competing game by game if Wilbekin, Zizic and Gabriel set the competitive standard.
The season's key, in editorial opinion, will be the club's ability to turn a talented roster into a coherent unit before the calendar tightens with back-to-back road trips and direct clashes against Anadolu Efes and FC Bayern Munich in early October.
Opening games
The European opener is set for 25 September 2026 against Valencia Basket in Istanbul (19:00 UTC). Four days later, Besiktas travels to Tel Aviv to face Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv on 30 September. On 2 October it hosts Barça at home, before visiting Kosner Baskonia on 9 October, Hapoel Tel Aviv on 14 October and hosting FC Bayern Munich on 16 October. The first Istanbul derby of the season comes on 22 October at Anadolu Efes, and on 28 October Besiktas hosts Olympiacos BC.
That initial stretch will define much of the tone of the EuroLeague return: three home games in the first seven fixtures, but against heavy opponents that will demand immediate performance.