Veteran NBA guard Patrick Beverley is headed back overseas, announcing via his podcast’s Twitter account that he intends to sign with Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel.
“They gave me everything I asked for,” Beverley said of the Israeli team. “… I couldn’t refuse.”
Beverley, who turned 36 last Friday, began his professional career by playing in Ukraine, Greece, and Russia from 2008-12, so he’s no stranger to international basketball. However, he has been in the NBA for the past 12 seasons, appearing in 666 total regular season games with the Rockets, Clippers, Timberwolves, Lakers, Bulls, Sixers, and Bucks during that time.
Known for his defensive tenacity, Beverley holds career averages of 8.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 26.6 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .413/.371/.760.
While his fiery personality can sometimes be an asset, Beverley’s 2023/24 season ended on a sour note due to a sideline outburst — he repeatedly threw a basketball at Pacers fans in Indiana during the waning moments of the Bucks’ season, at one point hitting an unsuspecting female fan in the side of the head.
The incident resulted in a police investigation and a four-game suspension, which Beverley would have had to serve at the start of the 2024/25 season if he had signed with an NBA team this summer.
Instead, the former Arkansas standout will cross the Atlantic, joining a Hapoel Tel Aviv squad that also recently signed NBA veteran Ish Wainright. The team finished second in the Israeli Basketball Premier League standings in 2023/24 with a 21-8 record, losing the best-of-three championship series to Maccabi Tel Aviv.
I figured he’d just skirt the suspension.
Yep that 4 games was a killer
Going to be nice to not have to watch his stupid antics anymore.
I hope the iron dome can take out the basketballs flying at fans heads
What happened to his 5 years?
What did they offer him
they are trying to get into the euroleague through the eurocup the last couple of years