09-07-2025
Maccabi, Hapoel Tel Aviv retool rosters for the 2025-26 basketball season
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.
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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.
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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.
