The Reds inked one of the all-time Euroleague greats in Vasilije Micic, while the yellow-and-blue brought NBA champion Oshae Brissett on board. The big names keep signing in Israel, as both Tel Aviv teams – Hapoel and Maccabi – have continued to stun the basketball world this summer.
The Reds inked one of the all-time Euroleague greats in Vasilije Micic, while the yellow-and-blue brought NBA champion Oshae Brissett on board.
The big names keep signing in Israel, as both Tel Aviv teams – Hapoel and Maccabi – have continued to stun the basketball world this summer.
The Reds inked one of the all-time Euroleague greats in Vasilije Micic, while the yellow-and-blue brought NBA champion Oshae Brissett on board.
Hapoel Tel Aviv signed Micic to a three-year deal, as the two-time Euroleague champion joins the Reds through the 2027/28 season. Micic will join Hapoel after having spent the past two years in the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Charlotte Hornets, and Phoenix Suns. During his time in the world’s greatest league, the Serbian guard averaged 6.8 points, 3.9 assists, and 1.8 rebounds in close to 20 minutes per game.
The 31-year-old arrives in Tel Aviv with one of the most impressive résumés, including back-to-back Euroleague titles with Anadolu Efes in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, along with earning the Most Valuable Player award in both of those Final Fours. In addition, Micic picked up the competition’s MVP award for the entire 2021 campaign, where he proved to be unstoppable with close to 17 points and 5 assists per game, as he shot a lights-out 49% from the field.
During his career, the 1.91-meter (6-foot-3) floor general played nine seasons in the Euroleague, with Bayern Munich, Zalgiris Kaunas, Red Star Belgrade, and Anadolu Efes. In addition, he also played for Mega Basket in Serbia and Tofas Bursa in Turkey.
Micic, who is reportedly earning $6 million per season, won domestic league titles in Lithuania, Serbia, and Turkey, and was also selected to the All-Euroleague First Team in 2021, as well as the Second Team in 2019 and 2022. The Kraljevo, Serbia native was the Euroleague’s leading scorer in 2022, with an average of 18.2 points per game, and has also won a silver medal with Serbia in the 2017 EuroBasket and a bronze medal at the most recent 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Euroleague career
During the course of his Euroleague career, Micic posted fantastic numbers: 13.1 points, 4.8 assists, 2.4 rebounds, 1.0 steals, 53.7% from two, 36.4% from three, and dozens of unforgettable moments to the delight of his fans worldwide.
With the addition of Micic, Hapoel Tel Aviv has added an impressive cadre of new players over the course of the summer, including Colin Malcolm, Tyler Ennis, Daniel Oturu, Elijah Bryant, Tai Odiase, and Itay Segev, alongside Tomer Ginat, Yam Madar, Antonio Blakeney, Bar Timor, Guy Palatin, and Oz Blayzer. The Reds will also most likely add another pair of players in guards Chris Jones and Iftach Ziv in the upcoming days.
Micic spoke about coming aboard to play for the Reds: “I am very excited to join Hapoel Tel Aviv and to be part of the upcoming historic season, the club’s debut campaign in the Euroleague. I was very impressed with the project that Hapoel is building, and the ambitions as well as the vision for the future is clear.”
“I was happy to talk to coach Dimitrios Itoudis, and I am excited to work with him. I hope to help the team succeed and meet the high expectations. I can’t wait to get started, get to Tel Aviv, and give my all for the team and the amazing fans. Yalla Hapoel!”
Hapoel owner, Ofer Yanay, commented on the signing.
“This is an unprecedented achievement at the level of European sports. We wish Vasilije great success. Thank you to the team management, the coach, and the professional team. Thank you to the agents Igor Crespo and Matan Siman Tov for their professionalism and dedication. Yalla Hapoel.”
Itoudis also spoke about the prestigious signing.
“We are happy and excited to welcome Vasa Micic to the Hapoel Tel Aviv family. Ofer Yanay and I were impressed from our first conversation with Vasa last December – which was the moment it all began – by his commitment to hard work, leadership, and strong desire to return to playing in the Euroleague and take Hapoel Tel Aviv to new heights. We are happy that Vasa brings with him experience, work ethic, and leadership on the court. We are very excited to start working with him and all of our players, and to build the new Hapoel Tel Aviv together.”
“Hapoel Tel Aviv fans,” continued the Greek bench boss, “As I have said many times, you can sleep peacefully. We have leaders like Ofer Yanay, Gili Raanan, and Miki Malka, who are working to build the best team possible. Special thanks to Gili Raanan and Miki Malka, who gave their full support to complete the deal. A big thank you also to the management, who worked diligently on all the little details. Yalla Hapoel!”
George Hinas, the club’s general manager, added: “Today is a big and historic day for our club, as we welcome Vasa to the Hapoel Tel Aviv family. I would like to thank Ofer Yanay for his central role in bringing Vasa to the club. His personal actions were significant and decisive in completing the deal. Vasa is a true winner, a player of the highest level, and he will help the club achieve its goals under the guidance of the legendary coach Dimitris Itoudis.”
Over at Maccabi Tel Aviv, the club inked Oshae Brissett to a two-year deal, as the 6-foot-7 Canadian forward brings an impressive résumé to the Holy Land that includes 243 NBA appearances with four different teams, while also being a part of Boston’s championship-winning squad just one year ago.
The 27-year-old Brissett is a versatile wing who can also play shooting guard or power forward. He brings an energetic and aggressive playing style, excellent on-ball defense, athleticism, and a relentless pursuit of loose balls and offensive rebounds.
“I’m joining the most decorated club on the planet in order to win some more trophies,” Brissett told the official Maccabi Tel Aviv website. “I’m grateful for the opportunity and can’t wait to meet the fans. Let’s go, Maccabi Tel Aviv!”
“It’s great to bring a former NBA champion to Tel Aviv,” General Manager Claudio Coldebella remarked. “From the beginning, he was our first choice. He’s a player who fits our system and his teammates, who can play in various positions, and who, thanks to his athleticism, energy, and desire to compete, is always very useful in many aspects of the game. We can’t wait to welcome Oshae to the Maccabi family.”
“We are very pleased that Oshae is joining us,” coach Oded Katash said. “He is a tough player who brings energy and contributes on both sides of the court. He has great experience and knows what it takes to win. We are looking forward to him fitting in quickly and helping us reach our goals.”
Brissett was born in Toronto, Canada, and as a 15-year-old began showing promising basketball talent. His parents, who were originally from Jamaica, convinced him to pursue his dream south of the border in the United States.
Although he was initially hesitant, Brissett agreed to join Findlay Prep in Nevada – which is one of the top US high schools for player development – and played alongside future NBA players, including Dillon Brooks and Kelly Oubre.
He then dominated at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Canada, leading the Maple Leafs to a silver medal while posting a team-high 17.6 efficiency rating in the process, which was higher than teammate and current NBA MVP and champion, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
After his time at Findlay, Brissett spent an additional year at Athlete Institute near Toronto, during which college offers began pouring in. He eventually chose Syracuse University in New York State and immediately became one of their key players. In his freshman year, Brissett averaged roughly 15 points and nearly 9 rebounds per game – numbers that were nearly identical in his second and final year in college.
In the summer of 2019, he signed with the Raptors and split time between the Canadian team’s NBA squad and its G-League affiliate, appearing in 19 games in his rookie season. Brissett later joined the Indiana Pacers and impressed by averaging 10.9 points and 5.5 rebounds over 21 games. By doing so, he earned himself a three-year contract with the Pacers, and during the 2021/22 season, he played in 67 games, which included 25 starts, while averaging 9 points and over 5 rebounds per game.
In the 2023/24 season, Brissett joined Boston, where he continued to contribute energy and winning plays off the bench as he appeared in 55 regular season games under Coach Joe Mazzulla and 10 more in the playoff run that ended with the Celtics claiming the NBA Championship. This past season, Oshae split time between the G-League and the Philadelphia 76ers, appearing in six games for the latter.
Category: General Sports
