Why Wade Baldwin chose Fenerbahce over an NBA opportunity

Wade Baldwin describes playing for Fenerbahce as a completely different world from what he was accustomed to. Despite being on the radar of two NBA teams, he felt he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to join a team and coach with such a remarkable Final Four tradition.Wade Baldwin IV stepped into the 2023-24 season believing this would be his last ride in Europe.The 28-year-old American had established himself as one of the EuroLeague’s brightest stars, but a calling from home and the NBA lingered in his mind. He felt he had spent enough years away from family, enough years proving his grit overseas.

“I was on a very short list with two NBA teams,” Baldwin told BasketNews in Kaunas last week, recounting the tense summer of 2024.