The Croatian forward put pen to paper on a new deal that will keep him with 'Los Blancos' for the next 5 seasons
Mario Hezonja renews at Real Madrid
Article
1 Min read
Real Madrid has brought an end to the speculation regarding the future of Mario Hezonja by getting the forward to sign a new contract that will keep him in the Spanish capital for five more seasons.
Hezonja (2.06 meters, 29 years old) was going to be out of contract this summer and had attracted a lot of interest, but he will now remain with Los Blancos.
After winning a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague title with Real in 2022-23, Hezonja averaged 13.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.0 steal and a 13.3 PIR in 38 games in 2023-24 as his squad reached the championship game.
Since joining Real in the summer of 2022, Hezonja has been a key cog in a hugely successful period for the club under head coach Chus Mateo. Real went 23-11 in the 2022-23 regular season, then beat Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade 3-2 in the playoffs, downed FC Barcelona in the semifinals and defeated Olympiacos Piraeus in the title decider.
Last season, Real set a new EuroLeague record with 27 regular-season wins, going 27-7, before sweeping Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in the playoffs and eliminating Olympiacos in the semifinals. However, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens came out on top against Real in the championship game.
During the 2023-24 campaign, Hezonja earned MVP of the Month honors for December 2023 and was also selected to the All-EuroLeague Second Team.
Having started his professional career with Barcelona, Hezonja was selected with the No. 5 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic. He then stayed with Orlando for the next three years before spending the 2018-19 season with the New York Knicks and the 2019-20 campaign with the Portland Trail Blazers.
He started the 2020-21 season with Portland but was cut in December 2020, which allowed Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens to sign Hezonja in February 2021. There, the Croat reminded everyone of his quality, even if his spell in Athens was short. In the summer of 2021, Hezonja signed for UNICS Kazan and remained there for the 2021-22 season, before heading to Real Madrid.
Now, he will continue to build his legacy with Los Blancos, having established himself as one of the EuroLeague's leading players over the last few years.