Patrick Beverley signed with Hapoel Tel Aviv and immediately became one of the biggest players who landed here directly from the NBA league. Following the arrival of the Reds’ new guard, we went to history to recall the big and flashy names that landed here and tried to rank them. Here is the list of superstars we didn’t believe would play in the Israeli league. And no, Beverly is not on the list.
Amara Stoudemire with Tamir Blatt in Hapoel Jerusalem uniform. The biggest name that landed in Israel, photo: Alan Shiver
1. Amara Stoudemire
Amar’e Stoudemire, a great NBA star, played 14 seasons in the best league in the world and participated in more than 900 games. He was one of the leading players in the NBA for quite a few years, and was selected once for the top five of the season and 6 times for the All-Star. In Phoenix he became a symbol and the club even retired his jersey. He finished his career with an average of 18.9 points per game and in seven seasons he averaged over 20 points.
At the age of 33, he landed in Hapoel Jerusalem in the 2016/17 season and won the championship with them. He returned following two years for another term in the team and won the cup. His last season was actually in Maccabi Tel Aviv. During his years in Israel he received Israeli citizenship.
2. Tom Chambers
In 1995, Maccabi Tel Aviv stunned everyone when they landed Tom Chambers. The player, who was selected 8th in the draft, played 13 seasons in the league, scored over 20,000 points and participated in the All-Star Game 4 times, in one of which he was even named MVP of the game. His jersey was also hung from the ceiling of the hall in Phoenix. At Maccabi Tel Aviv he was not a great success story. The team won the championship but lost the cup, and Chambers will be remembered mainly because of the 0 of 14 he did in the game once morest Barcelona.
Tom Chambers in a Phoenix uniform. In Israel it worked less, photo: AP
3. Parvis Short
In the eyes of many, Short is the biggest name to play in Israel, especially in the eyes of Hapoel Tel Aviv fans. After a bad start in the 1991/92 season, Hapoel Tel Aviv made foreign exchanges and brought in the excellent forward at the age of 34 in a move that surprised many. Short, who was selected fifth in the draft, played 12 seasons in the NBA, 9 of them in Golden State. He participated in 860 games and scored almost 15 thousand points.
Unlike Chambers, Short was a big success story in the redshirt and was known for a personality that exuded a lot of class. Hapoel Tel Aviv made it to the fifth game in the playoff final series, but lost to Maccabi at the hands of Eliyahu.
4. Patrick Beverley
Unlike the names that preceded him, Beverley’s tenure in Israel will not be his first in European basketball. However, it has been 12 years since he left the old continent for the NBA. The player who was previously included in the defense’s top five of the season played almost all of his time in the best league in the world in playoff teams, ones that aimed the highest there is.
Unfortunately, Beverly leaves the NBA without being able to get a ring, but his signing is the crown jewel in an unprecedented summer for Hapoel Tel Aviv. His transfer made waves throughout Europe and sent a clear statement – the Reds are aiming for the championship and winning the Eurocup, which will allow them to step up to the Euroleague.
Patrick Beverly. Passed in many playoff teams, photo: Reuters
5. Nate Robinson
Nate Robinson was here for a short time but left a big impact and is considered one of the most exciting players in Israel, perhaps the most exciting. In March 2016, he came to Hapoel Tel Aviv on a contract until the end of the season when he was 31 years old. Robinson, 1.75 meters tall, played 12 seasons in the NBA with a record season averaging 17 points per game with the New York Knicks. He was an exciting player who won the title of dunk champion of the league three times.
His most memorable game in Hapoel Tel Aviv was in the first game in the quarterfinals of the playoffs once morest Hapoel Jerusalem at the Arena. He scored 46 points and his team was very close to a big surprise but ended up losing in overtime.
Nate Robinson is crazy. An unforgettable time in red, photo: Alan Shiver
6. Jordan Farmer
The NBA strike period in 2011 brought quite a few NBA stars to Europe. The Jewish player Jordan Farmer landed in Maccabi Tel Aviv following five years in the best league in the world, four of which were with the Los Angeles Lakers where he won two championships alongside Kobe Bryant. Farmer was very enthusiastic but only played 7 Euroleague games because he returned to the United States when the strike ended. The following season he returned to Europe and played for Anadolu Efes before returning to the NBA once more. In the 2015/16 season he returned for a second term at Maccabi Tel Aviv, but this time it was much less exciting and he left in the middle of the season for professional reasons.
7. Carlos Arroyo
Even following Patrick Beverley’s replica contract, Carlos Arroyo remains the player who earned the most ever in Israel. The Puerto Rican guard signed a contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv for $2.5 million per season. Arroyo arrived at Maccabi at the age of 29 in 2008, with his record 7 seasons in the NBA. When his peak season was in Utah (2003/4) with almost 30 minutes of play and 13.6 points on average. He did not succeed with Maccabi in the Euroleague, but returned the Israeli championship to the Yellows and was elected MVP of the Final Four.
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to join Carlos Arroyo. The biggest contract in Israel, photo: Alan Shiver Were we wrong? We will fix it! If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us
