Metecan Birsen
Turkish basketball player (born 1995)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Metecan Birsen (born April 6, 1995) is a Turkish-Irish[1] professional basketball player for Beşiktaş of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) and the EuroLeague. Standing at 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m), he primarily plays at the power forward position, but he can also play as small forward, or even as centre in small-ball lineups.
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Birsen with Fenerbahçe in 2024 | |
| Beşiktaş | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward / small forward |
| League | BSL EuroLeague |
| Personal information | |
| Born | April 6, 1995 |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 223 lb (101 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 2017: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2011–present |
| Career history | |
| 2011–2015 | Fenerbahçe |
| 2014–2015 | →Eskişehir |
| 2015–2017 | İstanbul BB |
| 2017–2018 | Sakarya BB |
| 2018–2019 | Anadolu Efes |
| 2019–2021 | Karşıyaka |
| 2021–2026 | Fenerbahçe |
| 2026–present | Beşiktaş |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Professional career
Fenerbahçe (2011–2015)
Birsen grew up with the Fenerbahçe Ülker juniors team and he made his debut with Fenerbahçe during the 2011–12 season. On 26 August 2014, he was loaned for a season to Olin Edirne, later renamed as Eskişehir Basket.[2][3] Then Olin Edirne relocated to Eskişehir as Eskişehir Basket. Over 23 Turkish League games played in the 2014–15 season, he averaged 3.1 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.
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Anadolu Efes (2018–2019)
On 12 June 2018, Birsen was announced by Anadolu Efes, where he signed a 2-year contract.[4]
Karşıyaka (2019–2021)
On July 17, 2019, he has signed 1-year deal with Karşıyaka of the Turkish Super League.[5]
Return to Fenerbahçe (2021–2026)
On June 29, 2021, Birsen signed a three-year (2+1) deal with Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Super League and the EuroLeague, returning to the club after six seasons.[6] On May 30, 2023, he renewed his contract through 2026.
Beşiktaş (2026–present)
On July 3, 2026, he signed with Beşiktaş of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL).[7][8]
Turkish national team
He has been member of the Turkish Under-16 and Under-18 national team.[9] He won the bronze medal at the 2010 European U-16 Championship.
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | PIR | Performance index rating |
| Bold | Career high | † | Won a EuroLeague championship |
EuroLeague
- As of match played 1 October 2025[10]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | Fenerbahçe | 8 | 1 | 5.5 | .286 | .000 | .500 | 1.1 | — | .4 | .1 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| 2018–19 | Anadolu Efes | 9 | 1 | 3.9 | .600 | .333 | — | .4 | .3 | — | .1 | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| 2021–22 | Fenerbahçe | 14 | 0 | 7.9 | .250 | .222 | .333 | 1.2 | .3 | .1 | — | 0.9 | 0.6 |
| 2022–23 | 28 | 3 | 7.7 | .345 | .323 | .667 | 1.5 | .3 | .1 | .0 | 2.0 | 1.5 | |
| 2024–25† | 2 | 0 | 3.2 | .500 | — | 1.0 | 2.0 | — | — | — | 2.0 | 2.5 | |
| 2025–26 | 1 | 0 | 1.2 | 1.000 | .000 | 1.000 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | |
| Career | 62 | 5 | 6.4 | .429 | .289 | .600 | 1.2 | .3 | .1 | .1 | 1.5 | 1.2 | |
Basketball Champions League
FIBA Europe Cup
Domestic leagues
| † | Denotes seasons in which Birsen won the domestic league |
| Year | Team | League | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 |  Fenerbahçe | TBL | 2 | 2.7 | .000 | .000 | — | .5 | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2012–13 | İstanbul BB | TB2L | 17 | 12.6 | .478 | .250 | .613 | 3.6 | .6 | .1 | .1 | 5.2 |
| 2012–13 | Fenerbahçe | TBL | 6 | 4.4 | .556 | .333 | .500 | .7 | .3 | .2 | — | 2.3 |
| 2013–14† | Fenerbahçe | TBL | 27 | 10.7 | .488 | .382 | .613 | 1.8 | .6 | .3 | .0 | 4.1 |
| 2014–15 | Eskişehir | TBL | 22 | 13.7 | .419 | .182 | .667 | 1.9 | .7 | .3 | .1 | 3.3 |
| 2015–16 | İstanbul BB | TBSL | 27 | 13.7 | .455 | .351 | .581 | 3.0 | .5 | .4 | .1 | 4.5 |
| 2016–17 | İstanbul BB | TBSL | 22 | 16.7 | .427 | .333 | .690 | 2.6 | .6 | .4 | .1 | 5.9 |
| 2017–18 | Sakarya BB | TBSL | 25 | 25.6 | .432 | .171 | .706 | 6.1 | 2.0 | .8 | .1 | 8.3 |
| 2018–19† | Anadolu Efes | TBSL | 35 | 13.0 | .435 | .352 | .818 | 2.7 | .7 | .4 | .1 | 4.3 |
| 2019–20 | Karşıyaka | TBSL | 23 | 22.2 | .473 | .329 | .632 | 4.8 | 1.6 | .7 | .1 | 9.1 |
| 2020–21 | Karşıyaka | TBSL | 32 | 23.3 | .430 | .360 | .692 | 5.4 | 1.3 | .4 | .1 | 8.9 |
| 2021–22† | Fenerbahçe | TBSL | 41 | 16.3 | .449 | .300 | .780 | 2.9 | .9 | .5 | .0 | 5.3 |
| 2022–23 | Fenerbahçe | TBSL | 22 | 22.2 | .446 | .397 | .548 | 4.9 | 1.1 | 1.0 | .1 | 6.4 |
| 2023–24† | Fenerbahçe | TBSL | 17 | 9.1 | .276 | .091 | .286 | 2.1 | .4 | .1 | .1 | 1.1 |
