Hoosiers Now

James Blackmon Jr. Signs Pro Contract in Turkey

Blackmon was playing in Italy for the previous two years, but he's excited for his opportunity to play in Turkey.

Dylan Wallace

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Former Indiana guard James Blackmon Jr. has found his next basketball destination.

According to Ben Stinar of Forbes, Blackmon has signed a contract to go play for Beşiktaş J.K. in Istanbul, Turkey.

Blackmon will be heading to Turkey on Sunday.

""I've put in a lot of work this summer," Blackmon told Stinar. “I'm excited for the next step in the journey."

The last two years, Blackmon has played professional basketball in Italy. He went overseas after going undrafted in 2017.

Blackmon spent some time on the Philadelphia 76ers' Summer League team, where he had some impressive performances. He played well enough to where he earned a training camp contract with them on Aug. 30, 2017. But, he was then waived on Oct. 14.

His professional career came after an impressive three-year stint at Indiana. Blackmon, who played high school ball at Marion, was a part of the cream and crimson from 2014-2017.

He averaged 16.3 points per game over his three years with Indiana while shooting 41.5% from three. He also helped the Hoosiers reach two NCAA Tournaments.

With this recent signing, Blackmon joins a number of former Indiana players set to play professionally overseas this season.

Related Stories:

  • DE'RON DAVIS SIGNS ROOKIE CONTRACT IN IRELAND: Former Indiana forward De'Ron Davis will be playing his first professional season in Ireland. CLICK HERE
  • FREDDIE MCSWAIN SIGNS PRO DEAL: Former Indiana forward Freddie McSwain is heading into year three of playing professionally. CLICK HERE
  • ROBERT JOHNSON TALKS PRO CAREER: Former Indiana guard Robert Johnson caught up with Sports Illustrated to talk about his time at Indiana, his professional career and his passion for music. CLICK HERE
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Dylan Wallace
DYLAN WALLACE

Dylan Wallace is a reporter for Sports Illustrated Indiana. He is a 2020 graduate of Indiana University in Bloomington, and is from Crown Point, Ind.

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