By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
After five years in China’s Beijing Ducks, former NBA player Justin Hamilton inked a one-year contract with Baxi Manresa, the team announced Sunday evening.
Hamilton, 32, carries previous European experience playing for Valencia in 2015-16. At the top of his professional career, he joined Cibona and switched to VEF Riga midway through the 2012-13 season. The latest addition to the team coached by experienced Spanish tactician Pedro Martinez will be back in Spain’s Liga Endesa, besides debuting in the Basketball Champions League.
Providing a huge boost to the runner-ups of the 2021-22 edition of the BCL, he joined a solid list of summer signings consisting of loanee Giordano Bortolani, Jerrick Harding, Marcus Lee, Babatunde Olumuyiwa, and Tyson Perez. Both Juan Pablo Vaulet and Brancou Badio penned contract extensions, while Sylvain Francisco, Dani Garcia, Guillem Jou, Dani Perez, Marcis Steinbergs, and Elias Valtonen are returning as well.
Coming out of Louisiana State, Hamilton was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 45th overall pick of the 2012 NBA draft. He was subsequently traded to the Miami Heat and finally managed to play in the NBA during the 2013-14 season. Between the Heat, Charlotte Hornets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Brooklyn Nets, he logged 113 appearances producing career averages of 6.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.6 blocks, and 0.5 steals per contest.
Catalonia outfit Manresa is slated to compete in Group F of the 2022-23 BCL Regular Season against VEF Riga, Limoges CSP, and one more team surviving the Qualifiers.
Photo Credit: EuroCup