Derek Needham, new player for Bàsquet Girona

American player with Montenegrin passport signs for one season

First Team | Tuesday, 08 July 2025

Derek Rayan Needham (Dolton, Illinois; 10/20/1990) is a new player for Bàsquet Girona for the upcoming season. The 1.80-meter-tall Montenegrin combo arrives from Besiktas SJ, a team with which he has played the last two seasons in the Turkish league.

Needham began his basketball career at De La Salle High School (Illinois), and later played at Fairfield University (Fairfield Stags) from 2009 to 2013. In his final college season, he averaged 14.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3 assists per game in 32.4 minutes on average, with 78.3% free throws and 39.6% field goal shooting.

After his university stage, he began his professional career in Europe, where he has played for several teams: Šiauliai (Lithuania), Khimik Yuzhny (Ukraine), Braunschweig (Germany), Reggio Emilia (Italy), Mornar-Barsko Zlato (Montenegro), AS Monaco (France), Rytas Vilnius (Lithuania), Bursaspor (Turkey) and Besiktas SJ (Turkey).

Needham also has experience in European competitions. With Mornar-Barsko Zlato he played in the Basketball Champions League (qualifying phase) and the FIBA ​​Europe Cup during the 2017/18 and 2019/20 seasons, as well as the Eurocup in the 2020/21 season. With AS Monaco he participated in the Eurocup in the 2018/19 season, and with Bursaspor he played in two seasons in the Eurocup (2021/22 and 2022/23); in the first, the team reached the final, which they lost to Virtus Bologna. With Beşiktaş SJ he also played in this competition the last two seasons: in the first they reached the semifinals, and in the second they were eliminated in the round of 16.

In his last season before joining Bàsquet Girona, with Besiktas SJ, he played 27 games in the Turkish league, averaging 14 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, with 75.8% free throws and 40.8% 3-point shots, playing 25.9 minutes per game. During the play-offs, in which the team finished as league runner-up, he increased his performance, reaching 18.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 30.6 minutes per game (5 games). He also participated in the Eurocup, where he recorded 9.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 23.8 minutes on average in 19 games played.

Derek Needham has played 20 official matches for the Montenegro national team, including qualifying matches for the EuroBasket (2016/17) and the World Cup (2017/18 and 2018/19). He also participated in the 2019 World Cup in China, where Spain was crowned champion.

Statements from Fernando San Emeterio, sports director: “Derek is a player with extensive experience in Europe, absolutely proven, and has just had very good seasons in Turkey. Beyond his technical qualities, I think what we should value the most —and what we took into account the most when making the decision— is his winning character and the way he transmits it to the teams he has played for. He already showed it in the ABA League with Mornar, he also did it at Bursaspor, in Turkey, and the most recent example is this year with Besiktas, where they eliminated an entire Anadolu Efes team in the semifinals and played in the final. He has that character, that experience. He is less known in the ACB League because it will be his first year here, but I am convinced that, for us, he is a very important addition and will bring us that competitive and winning gene that we need.”