By Eurohoops team / barkas@eurohoops.net
Bonzie Colson was one of the most interesting players to watch in the 2023-24 EuroLeague season, ending up being one of the most important assets in Maccabi Tel Aviv‘s narrow loss in the Playoffs series against then-champions Panathinaikos.
Talking to The Standard-Times, the 28-year-old forward touched on the “craziest year” he “has ever dealt with”, being far from his beloved ones. “My girlfriend wasn’t with me [the whole time] in Tel Aviv. She was in Austria, holding it down and I was doing what I had to do on the court”, he mentioned.
However, the yellow-and-blue powerhouse still managed to lift the Israeli championship. “To be able to top off the crazy year with a championship kind of makes all the sacrifices, the obstacles, and the tears we’ve all gone through so special”, Bonzie Colson added.
Going away from Tel Aviv, he based his decision on the current ongoing situation. “I got out of my contract, which was an up-and-down process because of the war situation. I didn’t want my family to be in Israel while there was a war going on”, he followed.
This season, he will be part of the Fenerbahce family, alongside former teammate Wade Baldwin IV. “It’s another legendary club in Europe. It’s a great situation to have a good coach, a good culture, and a fun atmosphere. I’m excited about it. They’ve built a really good team with good character guys, but also guys who can play”, Bonzie Colson commented.
In the 2023-24 EuroLeague campaign – the second one in his career -, the American forward averaged 12.6 points and 5.3 rebounds. He will play in Turkey for the third time in his career after representing Darussafaka and Pinar Karsiyaka.
He played one of the best campaigns of his career in the 2020-21 season, being named MVP of both LNB and Basketball Champions League while embracing the go-to-guy and leader role in SIG Strasbourg.
PHOTO CREDIT: Turkish Airlines EuroLeague