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Boston Celtics fans won't forget the Italian forward who emerged out of nowhere last season.

Many fans were upset to see Gigi Datome leave this offseason, but he apparently could have remained in the NBA if he wanted.

Datome signed with the Turkish team Fenerbahce, but he had offers from the Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks and Washington Wizards.

"During the summer I had good offers from Clippers, Mavericks and Wizards but I did not see a lot of playing time for me with them so I decided to return to Europe," Datome said, via sportando.com. "I got proposals from Russia to Spain, Italy and Turkey. I had talks with Olimpia Milano and met the president Livio Proli who has been super. But at the end I decided to sign with Fenerbahce because I wanted to have an experience in one of the European top clubs."

In his short stay with the Celtics, Datome only averaged 5.2 points per game, but his heart and enthusiasm is what Celtics fans will miss most.

Thumbnail photo via Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports Images