By Aris Barkas/ info@eurohoops.net
Former Hapoel Tel Aviv center Johnathan Motley is signing with a G League team as Jake Fischer reported and Eurohoops can confirm. The big man is also attracting some interest from NBA clubs and per Eurohoops sources from Europe.
Motley had left with Hapoel due to the war situation in Israel, as the club had announced earlier in November. The Israeli side had then mentioned that they would initiate legal proceedings against him for unilaterally terminating his contract.
Hapoel owner Ofer Yannay claimed that Motley decided to leave Hapoel because of an offer by Serbian EuroLeague club Crvena Zvezda. Zvezda’s sports director Milan Dozet denied that there were any talks with the player.
While there were reports about FIBA denying issuing the letter of clearance to Motley to sign with his new team, the 29-year-old player is waiting for the paperwork so that his move to the G League can become official.
So far nothing has happened involving FIBA, because nobody has demanded the letter of clearance of Motley and it remains to be seen what FIBA will do.
Before he departed from Hapoel, Motley averaged 17.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in the EuroCup. Before this season, he spent two seasons with Turkish EuroLeague powerhouse Fenerbahce Beko.