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Ex-Celtics Fan Favorite Leaves NBA After 13 Seasons for Luka Doncic's Italian Team
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- Ex-Celtics Fan Favorite Leaves NBA After 13 Seasons for Luka Doncic's Italian Team
Ex-Celtics Fan Favorite Leaves NBA After 13 Seasons for Luka Doncic's Italian Team originally appeared on NESN . Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Kelly Olynyk's basketball career is taking him overseas.
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According to NBA insider Marc Stein , the former Boston Celtics big man has signed a contract with BC Roma, an Italian club co-founded by Luka Doncic that competes in the Lega Basket Serie A and EuroCup.
Olynyk was reportedly still interested in returning to the NBA but was also excited about possibly going to Europe.
The Dallas Mavericks selected Olynyk with the No. 13 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. He was traded to the Celtics in a draft-night deal for Lucas Nogueira and two second-round picks.
Olynyk spent the first four years of his NBA career in Boston. He was named to the All-Rookie Second Team and averaged 9.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists over 278 career games (36 starts) with the Celtics.
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Olynyk became a Boston fan favorite in the 2017 NBA Playoffs when he scored 26 points off the bench to help the Celtics defeat the Washington Wizards in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Olynyk left the Celtics as a free agent in 2017, signing with the Miami Heat. He then played for the Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, Utah Jazz, Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Pelicans before making the NBA Finals with the San Antonio Spurs in 2025-26.
The 35-year-old leaves the NBA after 13 seasons and 842 regular-season games, averaging 9.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.
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Olynyk has nearly $120 million in career earnings.
Olynyk joins former NBA players Paul Watson, Trentyn Flowers and Nico Mannion on BC Roma's roster.
