Metecan Birsen

James Metecan Birsen (born April 6, 1995) is a Turkish-Irish professional basketball player for Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Super League (BSL) and the EuroLeague. Standing at , he primarily plays at the power forward position, but he can also play as small forward, or even as centre in small-ball lineups.

Professional career

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. 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.

On 12 June 2018, Birsen was announced by Anadolu Efes, where he signed a 2-year contract.

On July 17, 2019, he has signed 1-year deal with Pınar Karşıyaka of the Turkish Super League.

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. On May 30, 2023, he renewed his contract through 2026.

Turkish national team

He has been member of the Turkish Under-16 and Under-18 national team. He won the bronze medal at the 2010 European U-16 Championship.

Career statistics

EuroLeague

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2013–14 | style="text-align:left;"| Fenerbahçe | 8 || 1 || 5.5 || .286 || .000 || .500 || 1.1 || || .4 || .1 || 0.6 || 0.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2018–19 | style="text-align:left;"| Anadolu Efes | 9 || 1 || 3.9 || .600 || .333 || || .4 || .3 || || .1 || 1.4 || 1.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2021–22 | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="4"| Fenerbahçe | 14 || 0 || 7.9 || .250 || .222 || .333 || 1.2 || .3 || .1 || || 0.9 || 0.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2022–23 | 28 || 3 || 7.7 || .345 || .323 || .667 || 1.5 || .3 || .1 || .0 || 2.0 || 1.5 |- | style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;"|2024–25†| 2 || 0 || 3.2 || .500 || || 1.0 || 2.0 || || || || 2.0 || 2.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2025–26 | 1 || 0 || 1.2 || 1.000 || .000 || 1.000 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 3.0 || 5.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 62 || 5 || 6.4 || .429 || .289 || .600 || 1.2 || .3 || .1 || .1 || 1.5 || 1.2

Basketball Champions League

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21 | style="text-align:left;"| Karşıyaka | 14 || 7 || 21.8 || .432 || .300 || .800 || 5.5 || .9 || .4 || .1 || 6.4 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 14 || 7 || 21.8 || .432 || .300 || .800 || 5.5 || .9 || .4 || .1 || 6.4

FIBA Europe Cup

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20 | style="text-align:left;"| Karşıyaka | 14 || 10 || 22.4 || .427 || .300 || .786 || 5.4 || 1.9 || .7 || .5 || 8.7 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 14 || 10 || 22.4 || .427 || .300 || .786 || 5.4 || 1.9 || .7 || .5 || 8.7

Domestic leagues