BC Nokia | |
---|---|
Position | Small forward |
League | Korisliiga |
Personal information | |
Born | Helsinki, Finland | April 4, 2002
Listed height | 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) |
Listed weight | 98 kg (216 lb) |
Career information | |
College | Santa Clara University (2021) |
Playing career | 2018–present |
Career history | |
2018–2020 | Helsingin NMKY |
2020–2021 | Helsinki Seagulls |
2020–2021 | Helsingin NMKY |
2021–2022 | BC Nokia |
2022–2023 | BG Göttingen |
2023–2024 | Belfius Mons-Hainaut |
2024–present | BC Nokia |
Max Besselink (born 4 April 2002) is a Finnish professional basketball player for Finnish Korisliiga team BC Nokia.
Besselink was born in Helsinki, Finland, to Canadian father and Finnish-Swedish mother. He was raised in Vartiokylä, Helsinki.[1] His father, Gerry Besselink, played basketball in Finland during 1989–1997, and represented Canada national team in 1986 FIBA World Championship tournament. His mother Nina Besselink (née Johansson), also a basketball player, played in Finland national team and has won two Finnish championship titles.[2][3][4]
Besselink started his senior career with Helsingin NMKY in second-tier Koripallon I-divisioona in 2018.[5] He attended the Basketball Without Borders camp in June 2019.[6] Besselink played with Helsinki Seagulls in the first part of the 2020–21 season in top-tier Korisliiga, but in February 2021, he suddenly re-joined the second-tier team Helsingin NMKY.[7] Later in the same year, he was supposed to join Santa Clara University,[8] but after the summer school he decided to turn professional.[9]
On 28 September 2021, he joined fellow Korisliiga team BC Nokia for the season.[10][11]
It was reported in May 2022 that Besselink had signed with Basketball Bundesliga team s.Oliver Würzburg, but the deal was cancelled later.[12] In September 2022, he signed a contract with Tapiolan Honka,[13] but soon after he exercised a transfer abroad clause in his contract, and joined Bundesliga team BG Göttingen.[14][15] On 28 November 2022, Besselink recorded a season-high 10 points in a 96–95 win against ALBA Berlin.[16] He played in 16 Bundesliga games, averaging 2.1 points and 0.8 rebounds in less than 10 minutes per game in total.
After a season with Göttingen,[17][18] Besselink moved to Belgium and signed a three-year deal with BNXT League team Belfius Mons-Hainaut in July 2023.[19][20][21] On 8 January 2024, he returned from an injury, and made his debut in BNXT League.[22][23]
On 18 June 2024, Besselink returned to Finland and signed with BC Nokia in Korisliiga.[24]
A former youth international,[25] Besselink has represented Finland senior national team on two occasions.[26] Most recently he played in a 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifying win against Israel,[27][28] recording 5 points, 6 rebounds and an assist in 9 minutes.[29]
Besselink's mother tongue is Swedish. He also speaks Finnish, and English with his father.[30]