Markus Howard has ended his four-year spell with Baskonia and signed with Zenit St. Petersburg through the end of the 2027-28 season, the Russian club announced on Wednesday, October 14.
Baskonia confirmed that it had reached an agreement with the American guard to terminate his association with the Spanish club, bringing an unexpected end to a tenure that included a Copa del Rey title and several three-point shooting records.
“Markus Howard arrived in the capital of Alava in the summer of 2022,” Baskonia said in its announcement. “Since then, he has worn the blue-and-red jersey in a total of 244 official games.”
Those appearances included 130 EuroLeague games and 109 Liga Endesa contests, alongside five games in the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup. Howard also served as one of Baskonia’s captains during the last two seasons.
The club highlighted his place in its history, describing him as the second-leading three-point shooter in Baskonia’s Liga Endesa history and the player with the most three-pointers made in a single EuroLeague season.
Howard’s departure comes after he helped Baskonia win the 2026 Copa del Rey. The club thanked him for his commitment and character and wished him success in his personal and professional future.
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Zenit confirmed that Howard, 27, had signed a contract running through the end of the 2027-28 season. The move gives the guard a new destination after four seasons in Vitoria-Gasteiz.
Howard was among the EuroLeague’s leading scorers in the 2023-24 campaign, averaging 19.5 points per game under Dusko Ivanovic, who is now Zenit’s head coach. He made 130 appearances in the competition for Baskonia.
His production declined in the 2025-26 EuroLeague season, when he averaged 10.3 points and 2.1 assists in 23 games, playing approximately 21 minutes per contest.
Howard had made three appearances for Baskonia in the opening weeks of the 2026-27 EuroLeague season, averaging 4.7 points and 0.7 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per game. He shot 33.3% from the field and 40% from three-point range in those outings.
Baskonia have struggled early in the new campaign, holding a 1-4 record in the EuroLeague standings after five rounds.
