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Nikola Mirotic returns to Spain!

Nikola Mirotic will continue his career at Valencia Basket. Once rumored to be close to retirement after his only season at Monaco, the former Spanish international has signed for 2026-2027 with the reigning Spanish champion, also a semifinalist in the last EuroLeague.
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Nikola Mirotic returns to Spain!
After a season at Monaco, Nikola Mirotic has chosen his new club
Photo Credit : Sébastien Grasset

Retirement will have to wait for Nikola Mirotic. After the disappearance of AS Monaco from top-level basketball and several weeks of uncertainty about his future, the forward is set to return to Spain. Valencia Basket has officially announced his arrival for the 2026-2027 season, offering the veteran a prestigious way out after his only season spent in the Principality.

At 35 years old, Mirotic joins the reigning Spanish champion, which also reached the EuroLeague semifinals last season. He will thus return to a league he knows perfectly well after his stints at Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.

Nikola Mirotic stays in EuroLeague with Valencia

Talk of a career ending had been circulating in recent weeks, but Nikola Mirotic will indeed play a thirteenth season in EuroLeague. He arrives as a free agent at Valencia after leaving Monaco, with whom he had initially signed for the 2025-2026 season.

His offensive output remained solid in the Principality. In 31 EuroLeague games, the former Chicago Bulls player averaged 11 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists, while converting 39.3% of his 3-point attempts. In the French league, he averaged 11.1 points and 3.7 rebounds.

Mirotic also took part in the four trophies won by Monaco: the Supercup, the Leaders Cup, the French Cup and the French championship.

A mixed single season at Monaco

His time at Monaco will not, however, leave only the memory of his offensive efficiency. His commitment to team life, his defensive work, and certain physical activities sometimes raised concerns internally. In a difficult context, due to salary delays, Aleksej Fedorycsev's protégé was sidelined on more than one occasion, sometimes for personal reasons. This was enough to irritate the rest of the group.

His offensive talent, however, never really disappeared. At Valencia, he joins a team that has just won the Liga Endesa and intends to continue being among the major EuroLeague teams despite the departure of its coach Pedro Martinez (to Real Madrid) and several of its leaders, most notably Brancou Badio and Jean Montero. French center Neal Sako will still be part of the team.

Return to Spain three years after leaving Barça

The Montenegrin, naturalized Spanish, thus returns to the Liga Endesa three years after leaving FC Barcelona in 2023. Before his time in Catalonia, he had already played at Real Madrid, where he did much of his development before joining the NBA in 2014.

Between 2014 and 2019, he wore the jerseys of the Chicago Bulls, the New Orleans Pelicans and the Milwaukee Bucks before returning to Europe. His path then took him from FC Barcelona (2019-2023) to Milan (2023-2025), then to Monaco.

With 307 EuroLeague games and six Final Four appearances, Mirotic now brings that experience to Valencia. With the hope of finally claiming the title he's missing: winner of the most prestigious European competition.

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Image Gabriel Pantel-Jouve
Gabriel Pantel-Jouve
Gabriel Pantel-Jouve is the founder and editor-in-chief of BeBasket, which he has been running since 2010 (formerly known as Catch & Shoot). Having studied at the École Publique de Journalisme de Tours and two universities in North America, he has developed his expertise in French basketball, from the National League to amateur divisions, over the past 20 years. Alongside this, he is also involved in the development of clubs in the Montpellier area.
Nikola Mirotic returns to Spain!