By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
After drawing the interest of several teams, Jaleen Smith signed a three-year contract to complete the 2021-22 roster of ALBA Berlin, the team announced Wednesday.
“ALBA is a very good place for me,” he mentioned regarding his next team, “I’ve heard only good things about the family atmosphere in the team. The style of play at ALBA suits me very well. I am looking forward to joining ALBA in the EuroLeague against the best teams in Europe.”
Smith, 26, was named MVP of the 2020-21 easyCredit BBL season. He completed his two-year run at MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg packing 15.2 points, 5.3 assists, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game to earn the distinction.
His offseason included talks with another team of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Zalgiris Kaunas, workouts with the Utah Jazz and Philadelphia 76ers, and competing in the NBA Summer League with the Phoenix Suns. He averaged 9.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per contest at Las Vegas.
His deal with ALBA leading him into his EuroLeague debut was first reported by Donatas Urbonas and confirmed by Eurohoops.
The German team, apart from appointing Israel Gonzalez as the new head coach, had already added Yovel Zoosman, brought back Tamir Blatt after a one-year loan, and re-signed Maodo Lo, Malte Delow, and Johannes Thiemann, working towards the next season.