Fenerbahce continued reshaping its roster for the 2026-27 season by signing forward Braxton Key to a two-year contract, the club announced Saturday. The 2.03-meter American arrives after spending the 2025-26 campaign with Valencia Basket, where he helped the Spanish club reach the EuroLeague Final Four.
Key joins a Fenerbahce side coming off a 24-14 regular-season record that earned fourth place in the EuroLeague standings. The Turkish champions advanced past Zalgiris 3-1 in the playoffs before falling 79-61 to eventual champion Olympiacos in the Final Four semifinal.
The 28-year-old averaged 5.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 0.8 steals and 0.5 blocks in 16.2 minutes across 28 EuroLeague appearances for Valencia. He shot 44.0% from the field while providing defensive versatility at both forward positions. In Spain’s Liga ACB, Key posted similar production with 5.9 points and 2.9 rebounds on 48.5% shooting in 23 games.
Although his offensive numbers were modest, Key established himself as a dependable rotation player on one of Europe’s top teams. Valencia finished second in the EuroLeague regular season with a 25-13 record before defeating Panathinaikos 3-2 in the playoff quarterfinals to reach the Final Four.
Before moving to Europe, Key appeared in 37 NBA games across four seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons, Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors. He averaged 2.9 points and 1.9 rebounds in 7.5 minutes per game, while also building an impressive résumé in the NBA G League.
His professional career included a G League championship with the Delaware Blue Coats in 2023 and the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award during his stint with the San Diego Clippers. Earlier in his career, Key won the 2019 NCAA championship after transferring from Alabama to Virginia.
Key becomes another significant addition during a busy offseason for Fenerbahce. The club had already signed guard Trent Forrest and veteran wing Shavon Shields, while replacing several key contributors from last season’s Final Four squad.
The roster has undergone extensive turnover following the departures of Nando De Colo, who retired, along with Khem Birch, Devon Hall, Bonzie Colson, Tarik Biberovic, Mikael Jantunen, Brandon Boston Jr., Armando Bacot, Arturs Zagars, Jilson Bango and Metecan Birsen.
