The Israeli-born big man will play in Tel Aviv more than a quarter-century after his dad starred for Maccabi
Maccabi brings T.J. Leaf back to his roots
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Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv reinforced its frontcourt with the signing of forward T.J. Leaf to a three-year deal.
Leaf (2.08 meters, 28 years old) returns to Tel Aviv, where he was born when his father, Brad Leaf, played for Maccabi in the late 1990s. Brad Leaf spent a total of 16 seasons as a player in Israel, mostly with Hapoel Galil Elyon, and was a teammate of Maccabi head coach Oded Kattash. T.J. played for the Israeli national team at the U18 European championships in 2015 and was a teammate of his new Maccabi teammate, Tamir Blatt.
"Being able to play for such a historic club in a place that means so much to me is a dream come true," shared Leaf in his first statement as a Maccabi player. "I would like to thank the coaching staff and all the front office and management for this opportunity. Can’t wait until I have a chance to play in front of the amazing Maccabi fans. Let’s get to work."
Leaf has spent the past four seasons playing in China with the Guangzhou Loong Lions, Beijing Ducks and Nanjing Monkey Kings. Last season he averaged 22.1 points, 12.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.6 blocks in 42 games for Nanjing.
Leaf played his lone season of college basketball at UCLA. He was a member of the PAC-10 All-Freshman team in 2017 after averaging 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds over 35 games. The Indiana Pacers selected Leaf in the first round of the NBA Draft and he would go on to play three seasons there and another with the Portland Trail Blazers before heading to China.
"Signing T.J. Leaf was one of our goals," Maccabi's general manager, Claudio Coldebella, said. "For years, the club tried to bring T.J. to Tel Aviv and we are thrilled that he will join us soon. It's a great addition to our team as we will strengthen our Israeli core as part of our philosophy. He has a lot of experience from the NBA and abroad, a talented player with lots of motivation to prove himself in the highest level of Europe."