Wade Baldwin reveals his respect for De Colo: « Becoming his teammate is like a breath of fresh air for me »

Wade Baldwin IV is in the middle of a remarkable second season with Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. After sweeping the EuroLeague, Turkish league and Turkish Cup last year, the American point guard and his team are once again chasing the same hardware — and sitting at the top of both major competitions. Friday night only reinforced that reality, with Baldwin drilling a massive buzzer-beater on the road against Panathinaikos Athens, the kind of shot that echoes beyond a single regular-season win.

OMG WADE BALDWIN IV WINS IT RIGHT AT THE END 🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/KY4mQ3IPSK

— EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) February 13, 2026

The pressure of expectations at Fenerbahçe

In an interview with Eurohoops, Baldwin discussed the particular pressure that exists within the Istanbul club:

« When you come to Fenerbahçe, you have to believe and understand that you only play to reach the Final Four and win championships. You set a certain standard. Other clubs’ goals might be to make the playoffs or simply have a winning record, but here you look around, you see the players from the past — star after star, legend after legend — and you want to become one of those guys. »

This philosophy seems to be bearing fruit, as Fenerbahçe has maintained its level despite several significant roster changes, with the departures of Marko Guduric and Nigel Hayes-Davis, offset by the remarkable arrival of Talen Horton-Tucker.

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Horton-Tucker, « unique in Europe » according to Baldwin

The former Los Angeles Lakers player particularly impressed Baldwin with his adaptation and mindset:

« Talen is simply a hungry player. He has a positive mentality about his situation in EuroLeague, and that shows his character and professionalism. It’s not easy to be, in a way, pushed out of the NBA at 24, then come and adapt to the European style of basketball. Some players still have their minds in America instead of being here. But Talen is 99.9% focused on Fenerbahçe and Turkey. »

Baldwin doesn’t hesitate to call Horton-Tucker exceptional: « He’s unique in Europe. There’s nobody with his ability to attack the basket. He has unique athletic abilities, so it’s very easy to play with a player like Talen. »

Regarding Nando De Colo, who returned to the club in early January, Baldwin made a surprising revelation:

« If you look at my career, he’s a guy I wanted to kill. I say that honestly. Nando De Colo is a legend — a Fenerbahçe legend and a European legend. I would lace up my shoes every night playing against De Colo, and I’d say to myself: ‘I’m going to destroy this guy.’ That was the goal. So becoming his teammate is like a breath of fresh air for me. »