By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Confirming rumors about his future being away from Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, Bonzie Colson was officially released from his contract with the Israeli giant on Friday.
Colson, 28, was later announced by Fenerbahce Beko as a new player for the team coached by Sarunas Jasikevicius. Shifting to the Istanbul outfit, the native of Washington D.C. penned a two-year contract with an option for an additional season.
Navigating his second campaign in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with Maccabi, Colson averaged 12.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 0.6 assists, and 0.4 blocks per contest over 40 appearances, all in the starting lineup for head coach Oded Kattash. He helped his side clinch the seventh seed in the playoff bracket via a 20-14 run in the Regular Season and two wins in the Play-In Showdown. In the Playoffs, Maccabi fell to later champion Panathinaikos Aktor in five games.
The early stages of his professional career included eight NBA appearances with the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2018-19 Regular Season. Using overseas options, he made his way to Darussafaka Tekfen and the 2019-20 installment of the 7DAYS EuroCup. On to the Basketball Champions League, an explosive 2020-21 campaign with SIG Strasbourg earned him the distinction of season MVP. Moving to Pinar Karsiyaka in 2021-22, Colson upped his total to 23 appearances in FIBA Europe’s top-tier club continental competition. With Maccabi over the last two years, he made his way to 79 EuroLeague games and won back-to-back domestic league championships.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net