Let it be known that no one shall ever be issued the number 8 jersey for Beşiktaş, in tribute to the weeks and weeks of service of one Deron Williams. Hailed as a conquering hero when he arrived this summer, the end of the NBA lockout forced Williams to bid farewell to his Turkish team. He remains the biggest name ever to play in a basketball-mad country, a national legend, Atatürk with a crossover.


Beşiktaş honored Williams before their game today, and raised his jersey to the rafters. Williams averaged 21.8 PPG and 6.5 APG in his time in Istanbul, and says he hopes to return one day.

The TBL is especially hard-hit by the resumption of the NBA, with Zaza Pachulia, Thabo Sefolosha, Semih Erden and Mehmet Okur returning to their American teams. It's not all bad, though: Sasha Vujacic will stay with his Turkish team through the end of the year.