Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv reinforced its frontcourt with the signing of forward T.J. Leaf to a three-year deal

Maccabi brings T.J. Leaf back to his roots  

[Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv/roster/tel/?season=2024-25) 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."

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="iw" dir="rtl">זאת לא אשליה <a href="https://t.co/GTRb3M8ydy">pic.twitter.com/GTRb3M8ydy</a></p>&mdash; Maccabi Tel Aviv BC 🇮🇱​ (@MaccabiTLVBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaccabiTLVBC/status/1939275116330074572?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

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."

More Maccabi news

The Israeli-born big man will play in Tel Aviv more than a quarter-century after his dad starred for Maccabi

He is set to make his EuroLeague debut next season, following his father's footsteps 


Virtus adds forward Derrick Alston Jr.

[Virtus Bologna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/virtus-segafredo-bologna/roster/vir/?season=2025-26) bolstered its frontcourt by signing forward Derrick Alston Jr. to a multi-year deal, the club announced Saturday.

Alston (2.06 meters, 27 years old) arrives from BAXI Manresa, where he averaged 16.9 points and 4.2 rebounds in 34 Spanish League games last season. He started his professional career with the Salt Lake City Stars of the G League and also played for the Rostock Seawolves of Germany before joining Manresa. His father, [Derrick Alston](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/derrick-alston/profile/bfh/), played in both the EuroLeague and the EuroCup in the early 2000s and won Spanish League championships with Manresa and FC Barcelona in the late 1990s. 

"I am happy and honored to become part of the Virtus family. I have already heard a lot about the city, the basketball culture of Bologna and obviously the passion of the fans in every single game," Alston said. "I can't wait to start working, represent this historic club and try to do something special. See you soon and obviously Forza Virtus!"

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐔𝐘 💎<br>Derrick Alston Jr è un nuovo giocatore dei Campioni d’Italia ‼️ <a href="https://t.co/uqQNwp30Ba">pic.twitter.com/uqQNwp30Ba</a></p>&mdash; Virtus Segafredo Bologna (@VirtusSegafredo) <a href="https://twitter.com/VirtusSegafredo/status/1938893263638855739?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>



More from Virtus Bologna

Alston is set to follow in his father's footsteps as he makes his EuroLeague debut

As a player, he helped Zalgiris win the EuroLeague title in 1999


Zalgiris hands reins to Tomas Masiulis

[Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/zalgiris-kaunas/roster/zal/?season=2025-26) has appointed Tomas Masiulis as its new head coach. The sides agreed to a two-year deal with an option for another season.

Masiulis, age 49, arrives from Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, where he worked as Sarunas Jasikevicius's assistant coach. He helped Fenerbahce win the Triple Crown last season: Turkish League, Turkish Cup and the club's second EuroLeague crown. 

He started his coaching career with Zalgiris, first with Zalgiris-Sabonio mokykla and then with the club's second squad. He was promoted to the assistant coach role in the 2019-20 season. When Coach Jasikevicius joined FC Barcelona, Masiulis went with him. He worked for 'Saras' and Roger Grimau from 2020 to 2024, when Masiulis joined Fenerbahce.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">He’s coming back to home! 🏡⁰⁰EuroLeague champion Tomas Masiulis is the new head coach of Zalgiris. The Kaunas native has signed a 2+1 contract deal. ✍🏼 <a href="https://t.co/HOq6ZVGmj0">pic.twitter.com/HOq6ZVGmj0</a></p>&mdash; BC Zalgiris Kaunas (@bczalgiris) <a href="https://twitter.com/bczalgiris/status/1938913871864987694?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>

As a player, Masiulis helped Zalgiris win the EuroLeague in 1999, as well as four consecutive Lithuanian League titles from 1996 to 1999. He also played for Montepaschi Siena of Italy and Prokom Trefl Sopot of Poland before returning to Zalgiris and finishing his career with Aisciai Kaunas. Masiulis helped Siena win the 2002 Saporta Cup title and also claimed five consecutive Polish League crowns with Prokom from 2004 to 2008. 

"I am returning to the club that gave me everything as a player, as a coach and as a person. The work here has never been easy, but it has always been meaningful. I am very grateful for the trust," Masiulis said. "We want to fight for every inch of the court next season and stay united as a team in difficult moments."

The latest Zalgiris news

As a player, he helped Zalgiris win the EuroLeague in 1999


Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade has made star forward Jabari Parker its first signing ahead of the 2025-26 season

Jabari Parker joins Partizan

[Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade/par/) has made star forward [Jabari Parker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jabari-parker/012745/) its first signing ahead of the 2025-26 season. He signed a two-year deal with his new club.

Parker (2.05 meters, 30 years old) comes off two strong seasons with [FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/bar/), with which he made his EuroLeague. He averaged 13.8 points and 4.0 rebounds in 39 games for Barça last season as he helped the club take eventual finalist [AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/as-monaco/mco/) to five games in the playoffs.

Parker's name is well known on both sides of the Atlantic. One of the top high school players in America, he played for USA national teams at the U16 and U17 levels and was highly recruited by all the top universities. He eventually decided to play college basketball at Duke under Coach Mike Krzyzewski and then was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the second overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

He would play a total of eight seasons in the NBA. Parker spent four seasons with Milwaukee to begin his career, but suffered a torn ACL after just 25 games his rookie season. His career-best season also came with the Bucks, in the 2016-17, when he averaged 20.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He split the 2018-19 campaign between the Washington Wizards and the Chicago Bulls, then played with the Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings in 2019-20, before joining the Boston Celtics, where he played in 2021-22.

Parker became on of Barcelona's leaders; last season he led the team in games and minutes played and was among the top three in scoring, rebounds and PIR. He now moves on to a new challenge in Belgrade, where Parker is certain to quickly become a fan favorite.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">Džabari Parker je novo pojačanje crno-belih!⚫️⚪️<br><br>🔗 <a href="https://t.co/TraQnCxJpP">https://t.co/TraQnCxJpP</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKPartizan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KKPartizan</a> <a href="https://t.co/Gk8YHKGrwP">pic.twitter.com/Gk8YHKGrwP</a></p>&mdash; KK Partizan Mozzart Bet (@PartizanBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/PartizanBC/status/1938657084851077140?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>

The latest Partizan news

The forward comes off two strong seasons in Barcelona 

Jabari Parker joins Partizan 

Valencia Basket added size and athleticism to its roster by signing small forward Kameron Taylor to a two-year deal, the club announced Friday.

Valencia brings in forward Kameron Taylor 

[Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/valencia-basket/roster/pam/?season=2025-26) added size and athleticism to its roster by signing small forward [Kameron Taylor](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kameron-taylor/011217/) to a two-year deal, the club announced Friday.

Taylor (1.98 meters, 30 years old) arrives from Unicaja Malaga, where he averaged 9.8 points and 4.0 rebounds in 39 Spanish League games last season. He e helped Unicaja win the Copa del Rey, BCL, Spanish SuperCup and Intercontinental Cup. Taylor won another BCL title with Unicaja in 2024 and was chosen to the 2024-25 All-Spanish League second team.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">🎤 Yo me parto la camisa, como... <br><br>¡Bienvenido, <a href="https://twitter.com/KamTaylor5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KamTaylor5</a>! 🧡<br><br>Cas 👉 Kameron Taylor, primera novedad del Valencia Basket 2025-26<a href="https://t.co/tQZlqKuPl4">https://t.co/tQZlqKuPl4</a><br><br>Val 👉 Kameron Taylor, primera novetat del Valencia Basket 2025-26<a href="https://t.co/vGOBO9c4uf">https://t.co/vGOBO9c4uf</a><br><br>Eng 👉 Kameron Taylor, First… <a href="https://t.co/sQrXzAsVhQ">pic.twitter.com/sQrXzAsVhQ</a></p>&mdash; Valencia Basket Club (@valenciabasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket/status/1938590682911736208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>


After finishing his college career with Seton Hill University (NCAA2), Taylor moved to Germany and played for Team Ehingen Urspring, s.Oliver Wuerzburg and Dragons Rhoendorf. He went on to play for Pecsi VSK-Veolia in Hungary, Brose Bamberg and Veolia Towers Hamburg in Germany, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in Israel, SIG Strasbourg in France and Basquet Girona in Spain before joining Unicaja. He made his EuroLeague debut with Maccabi in the 2021-22 season and averaged 2.7 points in 19 games before joining Strasbourg.

Kameron Taylor made his EuroLeague debut with Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in the 2021-22 season.

Best of Kameron Taylor: 2021-22

More news from Valencia

He returns to the EuroLeague after three seasons in Spain 


Zalgiris Kaunas bolstered its frontcourt by signing power forward Dustin Sleva for the 2025-26 season with an option for another year, 

Zalgiris tabs forward Dustin Sleva 

[Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/zalgiris-kaunas/zal/?season=2024-25) bolstered its frontcourt by signing power forward Dustin Sleva for the 2025-26 season with an option for another year, the club announced Friday.

Sleva (2.03 meters, 28 years old) arrives from Besiktas Gain Istanbul, where he averaged 10.3 points on 40.0% three-point shooting and 3.5 rebounds in 19 games. he also led the competition in steals (1.8 spg.) and helped Besiktas reach the playoffs and the Turkish League finals. 

He joined Besiktas from UCAM Murcia, where he averaged 9.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and a PIR of 10.7 in 45 Spanish League games in the 2023-24 season. Sleva helped Murcia reach the Spanish League finals and finish third in the BCL. The American raised his numbers in the Spanish playoffs, averaging 13.1 points and 5.5 rebounds in 11 games.

Dustin Sleva of Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul led the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup in steals: 1.8 per night!

2024-25 EuroCup highlights: Dustin Sleva, Besiktas

Sleva started his professional career with Paris Basketball of France and also played for Basketball Loewen Braunschweig before joining Murcia. Sleva made his BKT EuroCup debut with Paris, averaging 6.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in eight games in the 2022-23 season. He also helped Paris gain promotion to the French top flight in 2021. Sleva is now set to taste the EuroLeague waters for the first time with Zalgiris.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Zalgiris has signed a 1+1 contract with a 29-year-old American forward Dustin Sleva. ✍🏼 <a href="https://t.co/01EevgvpzM">pic.twitter.com/01EevgvpzM</a></p>&mdash; BC Zalgiris Kaunas (@bczalgiris) <a href="https://twitter.com/bczalgiris/status/1938605749673828679?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>

More Zalgiris news

He is set to make his EuroLeague debut soon after turning 29 years old 


Dubai Basketball reached an agreement with swingman Awudu Abass to remain together through the end of the 2025-26 season, the club announced Friday.

Dubai extends swingman Awudu Abass

Dubai Basketball reached an agreement with swingman [Awudu Abass](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/awudu-abass/003527/) to remain together through the end of the 2025-26 season, the club announced Friday.

Abass (1.98 meters, 32 years old) averaged 11.5 points and 4.4 rebounds in 35 Adriatic League games last season in helping Dubai reach the semifinals. He started his career with Pallacanestro Cantu of his native Italy and also played for EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, Germani Brescia Leonessa and Virtus Segafredo Bologna before joining Dubai last summer. Abass is also a member of the Italian national team, and helped its U20 squad win the gold medal at the 2013 U20 European Championships.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Another season, another hunt.💥 Awudu Abass is staying!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DubaiBasketball?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DubaiBasketball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/1City1Team?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#1City1Team</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YallaDB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YallaDB</a> <a href="https://t.co/CRPubuLfKQ">pic.twitter.com/CRPubuLfKQ</a></p>&mdash; Dubai Basketball (@dubaibasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/dubaibasket/status/1938507808301060561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>

Abass missed the 2021-22 season due to injury, the year in which his team, Virtus, won the BKT EuroCup. Before that, he helped Milan win the Italian Cup in 2017 and the Italian League in 2018. He added a second Italian League crown with Virtus in 2021. 

In 73 EuroLeague career games with Cantu, Milan and Virtus, Abass has averaged 4.2 points and 1.7 rebounds. He's had better numbers in the EuroCup, averaging 7.4 points and 3.2 rebounds in 72 career games with Cantu, Brescia and Virtus. Abass is now back to the EuroLeague for his sixth season in the competition.

More Dubai Basketball news

The veteran returns to the EuroLeague after a season away 


Dylan Osetkowski has returned to the EuroLeague by joining Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade from Unicaja Malaga.

Partizan lands power forward Dylan Osetkowski 

[Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/partizan-nis-belgrade/roster/par/?season=2025-26) added size and versatility to its frontcourt by inking power forward [Dylan Osetkowski](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/dylan-osetkowski/010581/) to a one-year deal, the club announced Friday.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">Dilan Osetkovski je novi košarkaš Partizana Mozzart Bet!⚫️⚪️<br><br>🔗 <a href="https://t.co/jLapy8zdBX">https://t.co/jLapy8zdBX</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKPartizan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KKPartizan</a> <a href="https://t.co/RA7ytygvzd">pic.twitter.com/RA7ytygvzd</a></p>&mdash; KK Partizan Mozzart Bet (@PartizanBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/PartizanBC/status/1938500238597378107?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>

Osetkowski (2.08 meters, 28 years old) arrives from Unicaja Malaga, where he averaged 11.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and a PIR of 10.3 in 35 Spanish League games last season. In three seasons with Unicaja, Osetkowski helped the club win back-to-back BCL titles, two Spanish Copa del Rey crowns, and the Spanish Supercup and the Intercontinental Cup trophies in 2024.

Dylan Osetkowski made his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut with LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in the 2021-22 season.

2021-22 EuroLeague highlights: Dylan Osetkowski, ASEL

He started his professional career with BG Goettingen and also played for ratiopharm Ulm, where he had a stellar BKT EuroCup debut season with 17.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 10 games in the 2020-21 campaign. Osetkowski also played for LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, where he made his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut in 2021-22 with 6.0 points and 3.1 rebounds in 26 games.

More Partizan News

The big man returns to the EuroLeague after three seasons away

It downed ratiopharm Ulm 3-2 in the finals, rallying from a 1-2 deficit


Bayern defends German League crown

FC Bayern Munich is once again the German League champion! It all came down to Game 5, in which Bayern edged ratiopharm Ulm 81-77 at SAP Garden to claim its seventh German crown title. Devin Booker led the winners with 19 points, Shabazz Napier added 16, Johannes Voigtmann had 13 and Andreas Obst 10 for Bayern. Karim Jallow had 22 points and 13 rebounds for Ulm, which led 73-75 with 2 minutes remaining. Voigtmann buried back-to-back three-pointers to put Bayern on the right track to lift the trophy, and a key offensive rebound by Booker sealed the outcome in the final seconds.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="de" dir="ltr">🏆 𝐃𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐞𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 🏆<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetThemSeeGold?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetThemSeeGold</a> <a href="https://t.co/VmVPkhuNor">pic.twitter.com/VmVPkhuNor</a></p>&mdash; Deutscher Meister 2025 🏆 (@FCBBasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBBasketball/status/1938330478324682844?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>

Bayern took a 1-0 lead in the series by thrashing Ulm 82-66 behind 20 points each from Obst and Napier. Justinian Jessup led Ulm with 22 points. Ulm went on to win the next two games to take a 1-2 lead in the series. In Game 2, Ulm grabbed a 79-64 home victory with 23 points and 6 steals from Jallow. Ulm then beat Bayern at SAP Garden, 79-81. Bayern led 77-71 before Jessup struck three times from downtown in crunch time to make sure Ulm look the lead in the series. Bayern bounced back in Game 4, downing Ulm 53-67 at ratiopharm Arena. Napier led the way with 15 points, and Bayern returned home to win the series at SAP Garden.

Coach Herbert's side outlasted ratiopharm Ulm 3-2 in the finals after rallying from a 1-2 deficit
