Former Lakers Guard Hoping for 'Complete Domination,' Championship with New Team

Sam Garcia | Aug 27, 2024

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

After 12 seasons in the NBA, former Lakers guard Patrick Beverley signed a contract with Hapoel Tel Aviv BC, an Israeli Premier League team, in July.

Beverley’s contract will pay him $2 million, with a potential $1 million bonus if the team wins the BTK EuroCup and qualifies for the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. With money on the line, Beverley has been very open about his goal for his new team. 

“I want complete domination,” Beverley said in a video he posted on his personal X account. “I want the EuroLeague championship. In order to get the EuroLeague championship, you got to get the EuroCup championship.”

The Israeli franchise is set to play in the 2024-25 edition of the EuroCup, which is one tier below the EuroLeague. The team will need to win the EuroCup championship in order to claim a spot in next season’s EuroLeague. 

Hapoel Tel Aviv stands as a frontrunner for the EuroCup championship as its roster boasts Beverley, Ben Bentil, Marcus Foster, Johnathan Motley, and Joe Ragland. Additionally, the roster consists of Braian Angola, Oz Blayzer, Tomer Ginat, Guy Palatin, Yonatan Rabinowitz, Miron Ruina, Bar Timor, Ish Wainright, and Noam Yaacov. 

The head coach for Hapoel Tel Aviv is Stefano Dedas, who was named the Israeli League Coach of the Year for the 2021-22 season.  

Beverley was originally drafted by the Lakers as the No. 42 overall pick in the second round of the 2009 NBA draft, but he did not play in an NBA game until 2012 as he opted to play overseas. 

He made 19 EuroLeague appearances. During the 2009-10 season, he appeared in the championship game of the Final Four as a member of the Olympiacos. In his final season overseas, Beverley was named the 2012 EuroCup MVP.

As an NBA player, the guard was selected to three All-Defensive teams (2014, 2017, and 2020). Beverley also won the NBA Hustle Award in 2017, which was the same year he earned the only First-Team All-Defensive team selection of his career. Last season with the Bucks, Beverley averaged 6.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game.

Beverley’s decision to return to the Israeli Premier League came shortly after he was issued a four-game suspension from the NBA. He displayed unsportsmanlike conduct after losing 120-98 against Indiana in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series in May. The exact reasoning for the suspension was stated to be for "forcefully throwing a basketball multiple times at spectators and an inappropriate interaction with a reporter during media availability". 

It is unknown if the two situations are related or if Beverley will return to the NBA before retiring. Regardless, he has his sights set on acquiring his first professional championship ring.