Braxton Key made an immediate impact in his EuroLeague debut for Fenerbahce Tarfin Istanbul, posting his first double-double in the competition as the Turkish club opened the 2026-27 season with a 78-68 victory over Virtus Bologna on Friday.
Key finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, shooting 4-of-5 from the field. His 10 rebounds were a game high as Fenerbahce controlled the glass 41-36.
The 28-year-old forward joined Fenerbahce after becoming an important contributor for Valencia Basket last season. He arrived in Spain in October and grew into a significant role during Valencia’s historic run to its first EuroLeague Final Four, including a reverse sweep of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in the playoffs.
His performances caught the attention of Fenerbahce head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius, who brought Key to Istanbul as part of a nine-player summer recruitment class.
Key had already provided a glimpse of what he could bring during Fenerbahce’s 92-90 loss to Olympiacos Piraeus in the EuroLeague Basketball SuperCup semifinals. He recorded 17 points, six rebounds, five steals and two assists while going 5-of-5 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line.
Wade Baldwin IV led Fenerbahce with 12 points and six assists, while Shavon Shields also scored 12. Will Clyburn added eight points in just 6:30 off the bench.
Talen Horton-Tucker contributed 13 points, five rebounds and five assists, helping Fenerbahce overcome an unusually poor shooting night from three-point range. The hosts made just 3-of-21 attempts from beyond the arc but compensated by shooting 60% on two-point attempts and 27-of-34 at the free-throw line.
Baldwin also delivered a key moment at the end of the first half, hitting a buzzer-beater to give Fenerbahce momentum heading into the break.
Virtus struggled from long range as well, making only 4-of-26 three-point attempts. Matt Morgan and Derrick Alston Jr. scored 12 and 10 points respectively.
Fenerbahce will host Bayern Munich next Tuesday, while Virtus Bologna returns to Italy to face Armani Olimpia Milan on the same day.
