Shabazz Napier has left Russia and Zenit St. Petersburg and is expected to terminate his contract with the club, Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
The veteran guard had recently recovered from an ankle injury and neared a return to the EuroLeague team. However, the Russian invasion to Ukraine changed his plans.
Veteran NBA guard Shabazz Napier is leaving BC Zenit in Saint Petersburg amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, sources tell ESPN. Napier had recently recovered from an ankle injury and neared a return to the EuroLeague team, but the attack has prompted his departure back to the U.S. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 26, 2022
Napier, 30, had been sidelined since the start of the season. He was expected to make his EuroLeague debut in Round 27 vs. FC Barcelona. The game was suspended due to safety reasons amid the war in Ukraine.
Napier made his debut for Zenit in the VTB Supercup as he scored 33 points versus UNICS Kazan. But, he was injured after only 30 seconds on the floor vs CSKA in the Final.
The Connecticut product is a two-time NBA champion. He was selected as the 24th pick of the 2014 NBA Draft.
He went on to play for several NBA teams including the Miami Heat, Blazers, Magic, Nets, Minnesota and the Washington Wizards. Likewise, he has 354 NBA games under his belt, but his last appearance was during the 2019-20 season.
Photo: VTB League
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