By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Determined to help his former team in any way possible, Nikola Vujcic joined Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in Cyprus.
The Yellows confirmed the additional assistance on Friday.
At the end of the 2022-23 season, Vujcic parted ways with the Tel Aviv outfit. He volunteered to rejoin the club in preparations for upcoming Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games on the road. The Croatian former player and manager of the Israeli giant offered to back the team and provide aid in anything required from him.
Vujcic, 45, is a EuroLeague Legend since 2022. His legendary status in Maccabi spread from his playing career and multiple championships, including back-to-back EuroLeague titles in 2004 and 2005, to an executive role, becoming the team’s manager in 2013, and contributing to capturing more titles. Despite deciding to leave and lacking an official capacity, he stayed in contact over the following months leading to the current situation.
The team coached by Oded Kattash has been in the process of relocating due to safety reasons with foreign players paving the way to Cyprus, earlier this week. Currently scheduled to face Valencia next Wednesday and Panathinaikos next Friday, the preparations aim to build on the positive start behind the win against Partizan Mozzart Bet in the opening week of Europe’s premier club continental competition.
Sporting events in Israel, including basketball’s top-tier division Winner League, have stopped due to the ongoing conflict in the country. However, Maccabi hopes to resume action in the EuroLeague as soon as possible.