Robert Franks’ First EuroLeague Experience

Partizan Belgrade has officially announced the signing of Robert Franks, a 29-year-old American power forward who stands 203 centimeters tall. The Serbian club has made a move in the transfer market to strengthen a position that had already shown some weaknesses during summer training, exacerbated by Derek Willis’s injury.

The team coached by Joan Peñarroya had started the season with Willis and Nikola Tanasković as the primary options at power forward. However, the American player’s injury forced management to accelerate the search for a replacement. The announcement regarding Franks came on Thursday, October 22, the day of the derby against Red Star, a game counting toward the seventh round of the EuroLeague.

This marks Franks’ first stint in the EuroLeague, following a career spent primarily outside of Europe. He developed as a basketball player at Washington State, where he played from 2015 to 2019, and had a brief stint in the NBA with the Orlando Magic in 2021, logging a total of 101 minutes.

After several stints in the G League, the American big man continued his career in Australia, Israel, Japan, and China, standing out above all for his offensive skills and ability to score consistently.

For Partizan, this is a gamble on a player with international experience, but one who has yet to prove himself at the highest levels of European basketball. Franks will have to adapt quickly to Peñarroya’s tactical demands and the competitive intensity of the EuroLeague.