logo
Maccabi, Hapoel Tel Aviv retool rosters for the 2025-26 basketball season

Maccabi, Hapoel Tel Aviv retool rosters for the 2025-26 basketball season

Yahoo09-07-2025
The two basketball teams representing Tel Aviv have plenty of off-court activity.
It may be the offseason for the Israel Basketball League, and while there may not be any action on the court, there has been plenty of off-court activity as Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv, along with a number of other teams, are reloading their rosters for the 2025/26 season.
Advertisement
The yellow-and-blue inked forward TJ Leaf to a 3-year deal, as the Israeli who stands 2.08 meters tall (6-foot-10) finally comes home to his place of birth after many years of rumors.
Leaf's father, Brad, played at guard for Maccabi between 1995-1998 – TJ was born in 1997 – and now TJ comes full circle as he joins his dad's former teammate and the yellow-and-blue's current coach, Oded Katash, in the front court after stints in the NBA and China.
As an Israeli, Leaf represented the Under-18 national team in 2015 and is part of the men's roster for the upcoming FIBA EuroBasket.
Maccabi also signed the Israeli Player of the 2024/25 season, Gur Lavy, to a 3-year contract. The 24-year-old, who can play both forward positions, arrives fresh off a breakout season with Gilboa/Galil, and he is looking forward to showing off his talents with the yellow-and-blue.
ROMAN SORKIN (left) and Maccabi Tel Aviv battled back from a double-digit deficit in Game 1 of the finals again Austin Wiley (right) and Hapoel Jerusalem, claiming a 91-88 win with Game 2 of the best-of-three series slated for the capital on Thursday. (credit: Dov Halickman)
Jaylen Hoard also signed a contract extension for three more years with the club, which represents a significant step in building the roster for the upcoming season, as the outstanding American-French forward is one of the team's cornerstones.
Advertisement
Hapoel Tel Aviv's BC roster
Over at Hapoel Tel Aviv, Dimitrios Itoudis's team strengthened its frontcourt by adding center Tai Odiase. The 29-year-old big man will play in the Euroleague for the first time in his career as he comes over from the EuroCup's Bahcesehir.
Odiase will add athleticism, spectacular dunks, defense, and commitment to the Reds' roster this coming season in the Premier League and Euroleague. He produced the highest number of points as a pick-and-roll finisher in the entire EuroCup competition and was fifth in offensive rebounds with 2.4 boards per game, to go along with 35 dunks.
Hapoel also signed Israeli veteran and national team center Itay Segev, who played for Ness Ziona last season. The 30-year-old Sabra averaged 7.9 points and 8.4 rebounds in Israeli League play, as he has established himself as one of the league's most prominent rebounders.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

The reason Wings' Paige Bueckers isn't playing vs. Aces
The reason Wings' Paige Bueckers isn't playing vs. Aces

Yahoo

time44 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

The reason Wings' Paige Bueckers isn't playing vs. Aces

The post The reason Wings' Paige Bueckers isn't playing vs. Aces appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Dallas Wings will play the first of a back-to-back at home on Sunday afternoon against the Las Vegas Aces. Wings guard Paige Bueckers has been ruled out, as Dallas looks to get her a rest day. There was no injury listed, so the assumption is that Bueckers will be available for Monday night's game against the New York Liberty. However, the Wings' injury report for that game will not be released until Monday. Myisha Hines-Allen (leg), Maddy Siegrist (knee) and Tyasha Harris (knee) have also been ruled out for Sunday's game in addition to Bueckers. Bueckers hinted that she may not participate in back-to-backs earlier in the season due to a lingering knee issue, and sure enough she is being held out of Sunday's contest for rest-related purposes. 'I've been dealing with patellar tendinitis since I was in high school,' Bueckers told reporters in early July in reference to missing the second of a back-to-back. 'In a sense, you're managing it at all times. There's no day where it probably doesn't hurt. But to be on the second night of a back-to-back where I just played 38 minutes, it usually never feels great the day after the game. 'But we usually either have an off day or a light practice day to where I can recover… Assuming I would either have to play a lot of minutes or be managed, we thought it was the smart thing to do to rest and recover.' So why have Paige Bueckers play on Monday (assuming she's available for the Liberty clash) as opposed to Sunday? Well, the Aces are just 12-13 and have been struggling in recent action. Meanwhile, the Liberty entered their game on Saturday against the Los Angeles Sparks with a 17-6 record, good for first place in the Eastern Conference. Only the Wings know why they made their decision, but perhaps Dallas simply preferred to have Bueckers available against the best team in the East as opposed to a mediocre team in the West. That is only speculation, however. Regardless, Bueckers will certainly be missed on Sunday afternoon. The Wings will try to get the job done despite her absence at 4 PM EST in Arlington, TX. Related: Li Yueru gets 100% real on trade request from Storm to Wings Related: Paige Bueckers reveals dream sponsorship she'd use to 'get the most'

Knicks reserve guard could see increased role next season
Knicks reserve guard could see increased role next season

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Knicks reserve guard could see increased role next season

New York Knicks guard Miles McBride could be the biggest beneficiary of Mike Brown being hired as the team's new head coach. Per SNY's Ian Begley, McBride could see an increased role compared to his role under Tom Thibodeau. 'We don't know how Knicks coach Mike Brown will deploy his rotation. But it's logical to think that McBride will play significant minutes with Clarkson and Yabusele,' Begley said. In the past, it would appear at times as though McBride wasn't being utilized properly in the rotation. Now with Brown, it's possible that McBride could see an increased role in the offense. McBride has the ability to play in several different types of lineups for the Knicks thanks to his ability to space the floor and defend at a high level. McBride himself spoke with Begley about sharing the second unit with new acquisitions Jordan Clarkson, and Guerschon Yabusele. 'Obviously (Clarkson's) a vet in this league. He's done great things,' McBride said, per Begley. 'Obviously, he can fill up the stat sheet and really score the ball at a high level. And obviously adding Geurschon as well. I think everybody's seen what he did in the Olympics and carrying that momentum into (last season), so we're really excited about him.' 'I feel like we're going to play fast, we're going to be using a lot of different guys,' he added. 'If you saw the Finals, they (Oklahoma City and Indiana) had a lot of depth on both teams, and I feel like we're all NBA guys. So if you're on the team, I feel like you're able to help out.' McBride averaged a career-best 9.5 points per game last season off the bench, and shot 37 percent from three-point range. Next year could be a breakout season for him should he get an increased role.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store