Jacob Pullen moves to Cedevita Olimpija

Jacob Pullen, one of the best basketball players in the region in recent years, and a former member of the famous Virtus Bologna and Barcelona, is a new player for the Cedevita Olimpija. The 31-year-old American player, who also has experience playing in the NBA, has been one of the top scorers in the regional competition over the past three seasons, and in the 2020/21 season in 2019/20 he was the key player of the Mornar. In the previous season, he managed to make it to the Semi-finals of the ABA League with the team of Bar. 

After spending college years at Kansas State College, Jacob Pullen tried out his skills for the first time in European basketball in the Italian Biella jersey. This was followed by a move to Hapoel, then a return to Italy, to Virtus Segafredo Bologna, while the 2013/14 season was crucial for Pullen, which also has Georgian citizenship, to jump on the big stage. He moved to Barcelona, where he averaged 4.9 points per game in the Euroleague. 

He moved to Sevilla in September 2014 and then returned to Brindisi, Italy, in November. Before the start of the 2015/16 season, he moved to Zagreb's Cedevita. Cedevita also played in the Euroleague at the time, with Pullen playing in 24 games and averaging 13.5 points. 

Pullen moved to Khimki, Russia after the end of the season, and the 2017/18 season began with the Philadelphia 76ers, and he also spent his time in Philadelphia with the Delaware 87ers, among others. At the beginning of 2018, he broke up with the Sixers after playing three games in the strongest league in the World, then playing first in Mahram, Iran, and then in Afyon, Turkey, which also helped him break into Turkey’s top-tier basketball league. 

In November 2018, Pullen returned to Cedevita. After the end of the 2018/19 season, Pullen moved to Montenegrin Mornar, where he has been averaging 16.6 points in the ABA League, alongside 3.1 assists in 1.3 rebounds in 25.3 minutes spent on the floor. 

As he moved to Ljubljana, Jacob Pullen told: “I am delighted to have joined Cedevita Olimpija of Ljubljana. Somehow it feels like I’m back at Cedevita, but will be playing for a Slovenian club for the first time. I cannot wait for us to play in the 7DAYS EuroCup and the ABA League, to achieve all of the goals that we face. My goal has always been for the team to fight for the top, regardless of the competition it plays in. I thank the fans and Cedevita Olimpija management. It’s great to be back and third time is a charm. I hope that this time we win plenty of trophies.” 

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Jacob Pullen v Cedevita Olimpijo

Eden od najboljših igralcev in strelcev v Ligi ABA v zadnjih sezonah, Jacob Pullen, bo v prihajajoči tekmovalni sezoni 2021/22 nosil dres Cedevite Olimpije. Športni navdušenci se lahko Pullena spomnijo tudi kot člana zagrebške Cedevite, v zadnjih dveh sezonah pa je branil barve Mornarja iz Bara. 

Jacob Pullen, eden od najboljših košarkarjev v regiji v zadnjih letih, in nekdanji član slovitih Virtusa iz Bologne ter katalonske Barcelone, je novi igralec članske ekipe Cedevite Olimpije. 31-letni ameriški košarkar, ki ima izkušnje tudi z igranjem v Ligi NBA, je bil v minulih treh sezonah vseskozi eden od najboljših strelcev regionalnega tekmovanja, v sezonah 2020/21 in 2019/20 pa je bil nosilec igre Mornarja iz Bara, ki se je v sezoni, ki je za nami, uspel uvrstiti v polfinale Lige ABA. 

Po tem, ko je svoja študentska leta preživel na kolidžu Kansas State, se je Jacob Pullen v evropski košarki najprej preizkusil v dresu italijanske Bielle. Sledila je selitev v Hapoel, nato vrnitev v Italijo, k Virtusu, sezona 2013/14 pa je bila za Američana, ki ima tudi gruzijsko državljanstvo, ključna pri preskoku na veliki oder. Preselil se je namreč h katalonski Barceloni, kjer je v elitni Evroligi v povprečju dosegal 4,9 točke na tekmo. 

Septembra 2014 se je preselil v Sevillo, nato pa se že v novembru vrnil v Italijo, k Brindisiju. Pred začetkom sezone 2015/16 se je preselil v takratno zagrebško Cedevito. Cedevita je takrat nastopala tudi v Evroligi. 

Pullen se je po zaključku sezone preselil k ruskemu Khimkiju, sezono 2017/18 pa začel pri Philadelphia 76ers, svoj čas v Philadelphii pa med drugim preživel tudi pri Delaware 87ers. V začetku koledarskega leta 2018 se je s Sixersi razšel, po tem, ko je v najmočnejši ligi na svetu odigral tri tekme, nato pa najprej igral v iranskem Mahramu, nato pa v turškem Afyonu, ki mu je pomagal tudi do preboja v najmočnejšo turško košarkarsko tekmovanje. 

V novembru 2018 se je Pullen vrnil v zagrebško Cedevito. Po zaključku sezone 2018/19 se je Pullen preselil v črnogorski Mornar, kjer je v minuli sezoni v Evropskem pokalu dosegal 17,7 točke na tekmo, v Ligi ABA pa 16,6 točke, 3,1 asistence in 1,3 skoke v 25,3 minutah, ki jih je preživel na parketu. 

Ob selitvi v Ljubljano je Pullen dejal: „Navdušen sem, da sem se pridružil ljubljanski Cedeviti Olimpiji. Na nek način sem se vrnil v Cedevito, prvič pa bom igral za klub iz Slovenije. Komaj čakam, da zaigramo v 7DAYS EuroCupu in Ligi ABA, in da dosežemo vse cilje, ki si jih bomo zadali. Moj cilj je vedno, da se ekipa bori za naslov prvaka, ne glede na tekmovanje, v katerem nastopa. Zahvaljujem se navijačem in vodstvu Cedevite Olimpije. Lepo je biti nazaj in v tretje gre rado. Upam, da bomo tokrat osvojili lepo število lovorik.“