Fenerbahce seals move for Yam Madar, the 2022-23 EuroLeague Rising Star

Yam Madar, the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Rising Star, has joined Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul on a two-plus-one-year deal the club announced on Wednesday. Madar (1.90 meters, 22 years old) impressed for Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in his rookie EuroLeague season, averaging 5.8 points, 1.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and a 5.0 PIR in 13:24 minutes on the floor. The Israeli guard is the first signing to arrive at Fenerbahce this summer, with the club's last roster update being the contract renewals of Dyshawn Pierre and Metecan Birsen at the end of May. After playing under Zeljko Obradovic at Partizan, Madar will now suit up for the Serbian's former assistant, Dimitris Itoudis, at Fenerbahce.

Making an impact in the EuroLeague

Madar may not have had the minutes of a typical starter, yet he was named in the starting five in 24 of his 38 appearances last season. All throughout the campaign, Madar jumped off the screen with his energetic approach to the game on both ends of the floor, which saw him reach double figures for points 10 times in the regular season and once in the playoffs. He also had six games with 2 steals or more, including the postseason. When it came to dishing the rock, too, Madar had 10 games featuring 3 assists or more. During Partizan's five-game playoff series against Real Madrid, he took his game to another level, increasing his averages for points, rebounds and assists, but it was ultimately not enough for his team to reach the Final Four.

Yam Madar's career to this point

The guard began his career in his native Israel back in the 2018-19 season, playing 32 games for Hapoel Tel Aviv. Madar remained with Hapoel for a further two years, first being named the Israeli Premier League Most Improved Player in the 2019-20 season before establishing himself as one of the country's best players in 2020-21 with averages of 17.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.3 steals across 30 Israeli League appearances. In the summer of 2021, Madar signed for Partizan and appeared in the BKT EuroCup for the first time, posting 8.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and a 9.6 PIR in 17 games, four of which were as a starter. Then, last season, he handled the jump to the EuroLeague with aplomb. Madar now heads to Türkiye to begin his journey under Coach Itoudis at Fenerbahce.

Partizan publicly protested Madar's signing hours later and announced its intention to contest the transfer.