The athletic big man spent the last two seasons with Fenerbahce
Hapoel Tel Aviv fortifies frontline with Johnathan Motley
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Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv has secured the services of athletic big man Johnathan Motley on a two-year deal. Motley (2.06 meters, 29 years old) arrives from Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, where he spent the past two seasons. He reunites with Coach Stafanos Dedas, who was an assistant coach at Fenerbahce in the first half of last season.
Motley averaged 11.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in 18:43 minutes over 36 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games last season. He ranked fifth in the league in free throws attempted per 40 minutes (8.0) and was 14th in per-minute PIR (26.0) and two-point shooting (65.5%). Last season he reached his first Final Four and helped Fenerbahce win the Turkish League and Cup double.
Motley returns to the EuroCup, where he spent his first season in Europe with Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar. He dominated the 2021-22 EuroCup with 21.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in nine EuroCup appearances. Motley had an average PIR of 23.9 in those games and posted a PIR of 22 or higher in six different games, including a PIR of at least 36 in three games. He was twice the EuroCup MVP of the Round.
A standout college basketball player at Baylor University, he started his professional career with the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA and also played for the Los Angeles Clippers as well as for Texas and Agua Caliente of the G League. Motley spent a season with Inchon ET Land Elephants in South Korea, too.