By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Mario Hezonja has reached an agreement with Real Madrid and inked a two-year contract, the team announced Thursday.
Hezonja, 27, was reported to sign a two-year contract with Los Blancos in late May but then denied the agreement declaring himself loyal to UNICS until the conclusion of the 2021-22 VTB United League season. After being released from the team based in Kazan Tuesday, the move to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague powerhouse was completed.
The Croatian forward became the third summer addition to the roster of new head coach Chus Mateo. Madrid previously reunited with experienced floor general Sergio Rodriguez and penned Bosnian forward Dzanan Musa to a two-year contract. Sergio Llull, Fabien Causeur, and Rudy Fernandez all signed contract extensions.
Besides carrying the experience of five campaigns in the EuroLeague, Hezonja previously displayed his talents in Spain’s Liga Endesa as a youngster attached to Madrid’s archrival FC Barcelona. After being selected by the Orlando Magic with the fifth overall pick of the 2013 NBA draft, he left the Catalonia giant and spent the next five seasons in the NBA. In 335 games played, he produced 6.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.2 blocks per contest.
Back in Europe, his first stop was in Greece and making true to his admiration of Panathinaikos OPAP. From there, he opted to move to Russia last summer and is coming off a stellar campaign as a member of UNICS averaging 18.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.2 steals per VTB game. In EuroLeague, he tallied 14.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game until his side’s participation was withdrawn in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net