Sarunas Jasikevicius said Fenerbahce is his priority midway through the final year of his contract. If other offers – including the NBA – ever come into play, he said the deciding factor is the people and support system around him.
With his Fenerbahce Istanbul contract set to expire after the 2025-26 season, Sarunas Jasikevicius isn't leaving much mystery about where his head is at.
Asked directly by BasketNews about his future in Istanbul, with numerous reports and sources suggesting that Fenerbahce and Jasikevicius are in the final stage of extension talks, the coach pointed to ongoing conversations within the organization.
"We talk a lot about the future and about the situation our club is in," he said. "I feel very loved and supported on this team. I don't know if there can be a better situation anywhere."
Fener Comes First
Jasikevicius' current deal runs through the summer of 2026, and that naturally opens the door to outside interest.
When he was asked whether he and his agent had plans to listen to other EuroLeague offers, he delivered his answer without hesitation.
"The absolute priority has to be Fener," he said.
He doubled down on why. "I'm supported here, I feel loved, and I feel like I'm working with like-minded people," Jasikevicius said. "Of course, the absolute priority will be Fener."
At the same time, he acknowledged the personal side that always sits next to the professional one.
"On the other hand, there are also two kids, a wife, and life – things you can't ignore," he said. "But I'm here not to live well – I'm here to do the job."
Reaction To EuroLeague Coaching Chaos
The topic of coaching stability came up in the same conversation, especially with jobs changing across the EuroLeague and Zeljko Obradovic stepping away from Partizan.
Six of the EuroLeague's 20 head coaches have already lost their jobs in the middle of the season.
"Nothing… it doesn't make me feel anything anymore," he reacted. "I'm not that young anymore."
He used that moment to explain why he values his current situation, giving major credit to Fenerbahce general manager Derya Yannier, last season's EuroLeague Executive of the Year.
"That's why I came to Fenerbahce, because I knew Derya is a normal person – and in our business, it's very hard to find normal people," Jasikevicius said.
Is Jasikevicius Interested in the NBA?
The NBA came up in the same conversation after Jasikevicius recently noted on EuroHoops that the league has become more stylistically similar than it used to be, with fewer clear philosophical differences between teams.
He was challenged by BasketNews on whether that could motivate him to go there and bring his own identity.
Instead, Jasikevicius pointed to something he values more than the league name on the business card.
"I've always said I've seen so much – and you yourself asked about Zeljko – you could put Ettore [Messina] on the same shelf… They probably don't have the right support system around them," Jasikevicius said.
For him, that's the real divider.
"It doesn't matter where you work – only that you work with good people who understand the game, support you, and won't stab you in the back after the first bad stretch," he said. "Because all of us will go through tough moments."
Saras Breaks Down NBA Basketball
He also addressed the NBA's current direction and why coaching style can only go as far as the roster allows.
"As for the NBA, it's analytics," he said. "They say it's better to shoot this many threes. That's fine – I agree you have to pay attention to it, because basketball is going there. But the most important thing is adapting to the players you have."
"You can't play that kind of basketball if you don't have those kinds of players," Jasikevicius said. "Players are the most important thing."
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Jasikevicius also pushed back on the idea that analytics are only an NBA thing. Asked whether his own philosophy is becoming more numbers-driven, he said it always has been.
"It always was. I really like numbers," he said.
He explained that stats are his go-to when decisions get blurry.
"If there are doubts about players or what they give us, you go straight to the numbers," Jasikevicius said. "So there are no emotions."
For him, it's a way to cut through personal preferences and bias.
"One guy fits this better, another likes something else," he said. "You look, and you see that, by the numbers, your opinion isn't right."
That's when the approach changes. "Then you lean more on the numbers, not on your emotions," Jasikevicius said.
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Donatas Urbonas
Donatas Urbonas is an award-winning Lithuanian basketball journalist, recognized as the best sports journalist in Lithuania in 2016 and the top basketball journalist in 2018. A Vilnius University journalism graduate, Urbonas has reported on major global sports events, including the Rio 2016 and Paris 2024 Olympics, FIBA World Cups, EuroBaskets, NBA Summer League, and NBA Draft.
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