By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
After many twists and turns, Johnathan Motley is back in Israel as his club officially announced.
As the club announced: “After successful talks between Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv Basketball Club and Johnathan Motley and his agent, the Parties have agreed that the Player would come back and play for the Club for the remainder of the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 season”.
Club owner Ofer Yannay stated: “We are pleased to announce that Jonathan Motley has returned to the club. We warmly welcome him back and are confident in his full commitment to Hapoel Tel Aviv. Jonathan is determined to continue from where he left off and give his all for the team. We look forward to his contribution as we move forward together”.
The signing of coach Dimitris Itoudis who signed Motley for the first time in EuroLeague with Fenerbahce was the key in the talks between the two sides.
On the other hand, while the player had a lot of interest and per Eurohoops sources initially was near a deal with Crvena Zvezda, never got released, not secured a letter of clearance from FIBA, even when he was on the verge of signing in G League. That move was never became official.
It has also to be noted that Motley’s salaries from Hapoel were blocked in Israel, making a possible move to another club even more complicated.