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Looking back at your time with Maccabi Tel Aviv versus your current role in the NBA, what is one part of your game that you had to “unlearn” to be successful at this level and what is one European fundamental you refuse to give up? Deni Avdija: I refuse to give up the craftiness in the paint, the fakes, the slow-steps. I feel like what I kinda gained is probably becoming smarter and knowing how to be physical and draw fouls.
“Throughout your upbringing playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv, you’re playing with older guys, you know, grown men with families. How valuable was that experience when you were just a teenager?” Deni Avdija: “I think it built a lot of character for me. Um, you know, being 16 playing with mature guys and getting beat up almost every day and getting hazed is, uh, it builds your confidence and it builds your—like, um, I’m going to say it—I wasn’t surprised when I came to the league. You know what I’m saying? It didn’t shock me because I already experienced it, you know?”
As one of the most sought-after free agents in the summer of 2024, he was on the radar of numerous EuroLeague teams, as well as NBA clubs, he revealed in an interview with Basketball Sphere. Partizan, however, was not among them. “No, the only option I had was Los Angeles Clippers, going back to Maccabi Tel Aviv, Real Madrid and Fenerbahce. Those were the three or four teams I was looking at. I chose Fenerbahce.”
Marc Stein: Jeff Dowtin Jr., who shot 40% from 3-point range last season for Philadelphia, is signing a two-year deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv in the EuroLeague, his agent Bill Neff tells me. Dowtin is Maccabi’s new PG and the second Sixer to join them this summer alongside Lonnie Walker IV.
It’s official! Lonnie Walker returns to the EuroLeague with Maccabi Tel Aviv. The Israeli club posted an interesting video on social media, confirming the signing of the 26-year-old guard. As announced, the former Zalgiris Kaunas player has inked a three-year deal with the Israeli powerhouse. “We are extremely proud to welcome Lonnie Walker IV to our family,” GM Claudio Coldebella said. “Bringing a talent of this caliber to Tel Aviv, a player who was drafted and tested in the NBA, is a strong and clear signal of our ambition to compete at the highest levels and excite our fans. Lonnie’s arrival is not an isolated move but the perfect fit of another valuable piece in the mosaic we are composing with vision and strategy.”
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Scott Agness: Former Pacer Oshae Brissett has signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv. It's a two-year deal.
According to Noa Poplinger, Hapoel and Maccabi Tel Aviv are engaged in a ‘market derby’ for American-Israeli forward TJ Leaf, with both teams having submitted offers. At the moment, the former NBA first-round pick appears to be leaning toward the Maccabi option.
Maccabi Tel Aviv is in advanced talks to sign Lithuanian point guard Rokas Jokubaitis, 23, who has played the past three seasons with Barcelona. With a height of 1.93 meters, Jokubaitis could become the first point guard under Oded Kattash. Barcelona had the option to extend Jokubaitis’ contract for another season, but decided not to exercise this option, paving the way for his transfer. If the deal is finalized, Jokubaitis will join Jordan Loyd in Maccabi’s backcourt, which also hopes to complete the signing of Daryl Macon soon.
Last Euroleague season, Jokubaitis averaged 5.3 points and 2.8 assists per game. His best season was in 2021/22, also with Barcelona, averaging 7.1 points and 2.6 assists per game. Raised in Zalgiris, Jokubaitis was selected 34th overall in the 2021 NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder, but has not yet played in the NBA. He recently participated in the Summer League with the New York Knicks, averaging 9.8 points and 3.8 assists per game.
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Maccabi Tel Aviv Playtika made one of its biggest moves this offseason, signing the former NBA forward Wenyen Gabriel. According to an announcement, Maccabi signed Gabriel to a 1+1 deal that will run through until the end of the 2024-25 season, with an option to extend it for a further year.
Urging to find a new big man under the rim after Josh Nebo’s departure to Milan, Maccabi Tel Aviv signed Wenyen Gabriel for the 2024-25 season. The deal includes an option to extend the relationship for another year. The 27-year-old versatile big man recently played in Puerto Rico with the Vaqueros de Bayamón, where he put up 13.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per night after ending his NBA experience in Memphis.
Coming back to Europe with Maccabi Tel Aviv, he then moved to Anadolu Efes and now to Virtus Bologna. Talking with Mozzart Sport during the Italian team’s trip to Belgrade, where they lost by 15 points (94-79) to Crvena Zvezda, he reflected on his past in the NBA. “The NBA is a show, the organization is a headache”, he said. “I definitely see myself better in Europe. The NBA for me was an episode where everything started from the trade and did not go in the direction I imagined”, the Croatian center added.