Veteran NBA guard to sign with Israeli pro club

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.

Beverley, who turned 36 last Friday, began his professional career 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 regular-season games with the Rockets, Clippers, Timberwolves, Lakers, Bulls, Sixers and Bucks.

Known for his defensive tenacity, Beverley's career averages are 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 recently signed by 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.