Fenerbahce have strengthened their frontcourt by signing Marcus Bingham Jr. to a two-year contract, the club announced on Thursday, July 16. The 2.13-meter American center arrives after an impressive 2025-26 season with Unics Kazan in the VTB League.
Bingham averaged 15.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.4 steals in 54 games for Unics Kazan, becoming one of the team’s most productive interior players. His combination of size, rebounding ability and defensive activity adds another option to a Fenerbahce roster undergoing significant offseason changes.
The 26-year-old began his professional career after four seasons at Michigan State from 2018 to 2022. He signed his first professional contract with Hapoel Haifa for the 2023-24 season before later joining Hapoel Holon.
Bingham moved to Hapoel Tel Aviv in November 2024 and helped the Israeli club win the 2025 EuroCup championship. His performances during that run increased his profile in European basketball before he joined Unics Kazan for the following season.
Fenerbahce enter the 2026-27 season after finishing fourth in the 2025-26 EuroLeague regular-season standings with a 24-14 record. The Turkish club reached the Final Four but lost 79-61 to Olympiacos in the semifinals before the Greek team defeated Real Madrid in the championship game.
The addition of Bingham addresses a changing frontcourt rotation after Fenerbahce moved on from several big men. Khem Birch, Jilson Bango and Armando Bacot departed during the offseason.
During the 2025-26 EuroLeague season, Birch was Fenerbahce’s main traditional center, averaging 3.9 points and 4.0 rebounds in 43 games. Bacot averaged 2.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in 26 appearances, while the team relied heavily on versatile forwards such as Melli and Bonzie Colson.
Bingham joins an active offseason recruitment period for Fenerbahce. The club has already added Trent Forrest, Shavon Shields, Braxton Key, Shane Larkin, Ignas Sargiunas and Sertac Sanli while losing Nando De Colo, Devon Hall, Brandon Boston Jr., Arturs Zagars, Tarik Biberovic, Metecan Birsen and Mikael Jantunen.
Fenerbahce’s 2025-26 offense was led by Talen Horton-Tucker, who averaged 15.7 points per game, followed by Wade Baldwin at 14.0 points and 5.5 assists.
