Dwight Powell Leaves NBA for EuroLeague After 12 Years in Dallas

Dwight Powell is headed to Turkey. After more than a decade with the Dallas Mavericks, the 35-year-old Canadian forward has agreed to a one-year contract with Fenerbahçe, Basket USA reported, leaving the NBA for the EuroLeague for the first time in his career.

The move closes a chapter that began in 2014, when Powell arrived in Dallas and stayed long enough to become one of the longest-tenured players in franchise history. The Mavericks released him this offseason, and Powell chose Istanbul over retirement, signing with a club that regularly competes at the top of European basketball under head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius.

Tarik Biberovic Helped Push Powell Toward Istanbul

Powell did not make the decision alone. Before committing, he called Tarik Biberovic, the Fenerbahçe forward he briefly overlapped with in Texas this summer, and asked for advice.

“Tarik is the one who really pushed the most,” Powell said, according to Basket USA. “I contacted him first because he knows it perfectly. It was great to get to know him, even over the short time we shared. We became very good friends while we were teammates. So I contacted him immediately and he told me I was going to love the system, the city.”

That endorsement from a former teammate helped ease Powell’s transition to a new country, a new league and a new role.

Twelve Years in Dallas, Capped by a 2024 Finals Run

Powell spent nearly 12 years in Dallas, a span that included a trip to the 2024 NBA Finals.

“Honestly, I love basketball and I really enjoyed my years in Dallas,” Powell said. “I am very proud of what I accomplished there. There were great successes. I also went through a lot of difficult moments, I fought, but I was lucky enough to see it through.”

Across his Mavericks tenure, Powell appeared in more than 600 regular-season games, developed a reputation as a reliable locker-room presence and rotation big, and became a fixture in a franchise that went through several eras of change while he remained.

A Long-Running Curiosity About the EuroLeague

At 35, Powell said he was not ready to stop playing.

“As I said, I really love this sport, so I was absolutely not ready to stop playing. Deep down, I have always been curious to discover the EuroLeague. So when the opportunity came, it was the chance to get answers. And I think it was the perfect situation to come and experience it.”

That interest was not new. In Dallas, Powell spent years around players who knew European basketball firsthand, including Luka Doncic.

“We talked about the games,” Powell said of Doncic. “Over the seasons, we had a lot of guys who came from Europe and a lot of others who were just passionate about basketball and watched the EuroLeague.”

What Comes Next in Istanbul

Powell will now play his first club season in European basketball, joining a Fenerbahçe team with a rich history and a place near the top of the EuroLeague. For the Toronto native, the move is as much about lifestyle as it is about competition.

“As I said, it is an excellent opportunity, within a club with such history and such a rich track record,” Powell said. “All of it in a city like Istanbul, it is the cherry on top.”

Powell’s first season with Fenerbahçe begins this fall in the EuroLeague, with Istanbul representing his first experience playing professional club basketball outside North America.

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