The two-time champion and 2020-21 MVP is ready to light up EuroLeague floors once again
Vasilije Micic signs lucrative deal with Hapoel
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After two years in the NBA, two-time EuroLeague champion and 2020-21 EuroLeague MVP Vasilije Micic has returned to Europe's premier club competition by joining newcomer Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv on a lucrative three-year deal.
Micic (1.96 meters, 31 years old) became a EuroLeague star during his five years with Anadolu Efes Istanbul, not only helping the team win the 2020-21 and 2021-22 championships but also becoming the Final Four MVP in each of those triumphs. A three-time All-EuroLeague guard, Micic took home the Alphonso Ford EuroLeague Top Scorer Trophy in 2021-22, too.
"I am very excited to join Hapoel Tel Aviv and to be part of the club’s historic upcoming season – its debut in the EuroLeague," Micic said. "I was deeply impressed by the project Hapoel is building – the ambition and the clear vision for the future. I was happy to speak with Coach Dimitris Itoudis and I’m excited to work with him.
"I hope to help the team succeed and meet the high expectations. I can’t wait to get started, to arrive in Tel Aviv, and to give my all for the team and our amazing fans. Yalla Hapoel!"
"We are happy and excited to welcome Vasa Micic to the Hapoel Tel Aviv family," Coach Dimitris Itoudis said. "From our very first conversation with Vasa back in December – the moment when everything started – Ofer Yannay and I were impressed by his commitment to hard work, his leadership, and his strong desire to return to EuroLeague play and lead Hapoel Tel Aviv to new heights.
"We are thrilled that Vasa brings experience, work ethic, and leadership on the court. We are very excited to begin working with him and all our players, and to build the new Hapoel Tel Aviv together."
Over the last two seasons, Micic played a total of 101 games in the NBA: 30 for the Oklahoma City Thunder, 66 for the Charlotte Hornets, and five for the Phoenix Suns. In an average of over 19 minutes per night, the Serbia international posted 6.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists for his NBA career.
Micic has played a total of 229 EuroLeague games to date: 10 with FC Bayern Munich (2014-15), 17 with Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2015-16), 36 with Zalgiris Kaunas (2017-18), and 166 with Efes.
He is one of 23 players to have scored 3,000 or more points, having netted 3,007 (22nd overall all-time) in his career to date. During his time with Hapoel, he will be hoping to reach 4,000 points, something just eight players have done before.
It is not just scoring where Micic has left his mark. The Serbian guard is one of 14 players to have dished over 1,000 assists, as he sits 13th place all-time with 1,097 to his name. Just 10 players in EuroLeague history have scored over 3,000 points and dished more than 1,000 assists – and Micic is part of that exclusive club.
For his career, Micic's averages stand at 13.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.0 steal and a 13.8 PIR.