By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Johnny O’Bryant has spent four seasons in the NBA with various teams before moving overseas and joining Maccabi Tel Aviv. His first European experience has been better than he expected and he believes the EuroLeague has been aiming for a competition format just like the NBA one:
“To be honest, the Euroleague and Maccabi Tel Aviv have been better than I thought. When I arrived, Maccabi was really good to me, they are always one phone call away. If I need anything, they always make sure we are all right. As for the Euroleague, it was an amazing experience. It’s competitive, traveling around Europe and playing in different environments and I think they’re trying to build a format like the NBA”, he told Sport5.
O’Bryant signed a one-year deal with Maccabi and while he likes it there, he’s not sure what the future brings for him: “I signed up for only one year so I do not really know what will happen in the future, I just want to finish the season strong. I really love Tel Aviv, Maccabi is an amazing organization. I will talk to my wife and family and consider all the options. Whether it’s in Maccabi, the NBA, or maybe in China, I’m tearing my ass in an attempt to be a better basketball player.”
He also analyzed shortly Maccabi’s EuroLeague run which ended without them clinching a playoff ticket: “I think that early on we dug ourselves in a hole, we started 1-8. When the coach arrived he did an incredible job of turning things around quickly. We still had a chance to win some games at the end and get into the playoffs so overall, as a team, you can’t be mad at the way we fought.”
O’Bryant may not know what the future brings and misses the NBA but he is focused on Maccabi right now and winning the Israeli League: “I miss it, that’s all I knew until I got here, it was definitely a fun experience, I think I still have a lot to prove there, but right now I’m here, trying to focus on winning and having a successful season”, he said.