William McNair Jr. Joins Cedevita Olimpija on a Two-Month Deal

William McNair Jr. arrived in Ljubljana on Sunday, and it is planned that he will travel with the team to Romania on Monday, where the Dragons will face U-BT Cluj-Napoca on Wednesday.

The senior team of Cedevita Olimpija will enter the next two months of the 2025/26 season reinforced by 25-year-old, 210-centimeter-tall center William McNair Jr., who will bring fresh energy around the rim in Ljubljana. His first experience in European basketball came in Turkey, where he played for Ormanspor in the 2024/25 season, and he began the 2025/26 season with Yalovaspor.

“I feel great. I think this is a great opportunity to prove myself on a bigger stage. Honestly, I haven’t followed Cedevita Olimpija closely this season. About two weeks ago, I was watching some EuroCup games and saw their team in one of them. I watched the game and later checked the highlights. Fans can expect hustle and energy from me. See you soon!” McNair Jr. said upon signing the contract.

McNair Jr. spent five seasons in the NCAA – from 2019 to 2022 he played for the New Mexico State Aggies, in the 2022/23 season he wore the Mississippi State Bulldogs jersey, and in the 2023/24 season he played for the Kansas State Wildcats.

The 2024/25 season was his first in Europe, where he played in the Turkish second division for OGM Ormanspor. He appeared in 31 games, finishing as the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 15.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. He recorded a double-double in 15 games, and his best performance came on October 5 last year, when he posted 21 points and 17 rebounds against Cayirova Belediye, earning a performance index rating of 35.

Before the start of the 2025/26 season, he joined Yalovaspor, appearing in four games and averaging 16.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.

---------------------

William McNair Jr. dva meseca v dresu Cedevita Olimpije

Cedevita Olimpija je sklenila dogovor z ameriškim košarkarjem Williamom McNairjem Jr, ki bo za dva meseca okrepil ljubljansko člansko zasedbo pod obema obročema. 

William McNair Jr. je v nedeljo že prispel v Ljubljano, načrtovano pa je, da bo v ponedeljek z ekipo odpotoval v Romunijo, kjer Zmaje v sredo čaka obračun z U-BT Cluj-Napoco.

Članska ekipa Cedevite Olimpije bo v naslednja dva meseca tekmovalne sezone 2025/26 vstopila okrepljena z Williamom McNairjem Jr., 25-letnim, 210 centimetrov visokim centrom, ki bo v Ljubljani tako dodal svežo energijo pod obema obročema. Njegov prvi stik z evropsko košarko je bilo igranje v Turčiji, kjer je v sezoni 2024/25 nosil dres Ormanspora, sezono 2025/26 pa je začel v Yalovasporu.

“Počutim se odlično. Čutim, da je to odlična priložnost, da se dokažem na večjem odru. Iskreno Cedeviti Olimpiji nisem sledil v tej sezoni. Pred dvema tednoma sem sicer spremljal EuroCup in ekipo spremljal na eni izmed tekem. Pogledal sem tekmo in kasneje najboljše akcije. Navijači lahko od mene pričakujejo borbenost in energijo. Se vidimo kmalu!” je ob podpisu pogodbe povedal McNair Jr.

William McNair Jr. je v študentski Ligi NCAA preživel pet sezon – med letoma 2019 in 2022 je igral za New Mexico State Aggies, v sezoni 2022/23 je nosil dres Mississippi State Bulldogs, v sezoni 2023/24 pa Kansas State Wildcats. 

Sezona 2024/25 je bila zanj prva v Evropi, v drugi turški ligi pa je zaigral za OGM Ormanspor. Nastopil je na 31 tekmah, bil najboljši strelec in skakalec svoje ekipe, v povprečju pa dosegal 15,3 točke in 10,1 skok na tekmo. Na kar 15 tekmah je v svojo statistiko zabeležil dvojnega dvojčka, svojo najboljšo predstavo pa je prikazal 5. oktobra lani, ko je proti ekipi Cayirova Belediye v statistiko vknjižil 21 točk in 17 skokov, kar je bilo dovolj za valorizacijski indeks 35. Pred začetkom sezone 2025/26 je prestopil v Yalovaspor, zaigral je na štirih tekmah, in v povprečju dosegal 16,5 točke in 10,0 skokov na tekmo.