Former Ohio State standout EJ Liddell heading to Greece

E.J. Liddell is taking his game overseas.

Per Eurohoops, the veteran forward has reached a two-year agreement with Aris BC in Greece, at least temporarily closing the door on his NBA career after four seasons.

Liddell is a name Ohio State fans know well. The Pelicans drafted him in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft, but he never got a clean shot at sticking in the league.

He missed his entire rookie season recovering from a torn ACL suffered in Summer League. From there it was a series of two-way contracts, multi-year deals and trades that never quite led to a real opportunity.

New Orleans dealt him to Atlanta in the summer of 2024. Atlanta flipped him to Phoenix. The Suns waived him. He caught on with Chicago on a two-way deal, then did the same with Brooklyn this past season.

In 46 NBA games over three healthy seasons with the Pelicans, Bulls and Nets, Liddell never got a consistent run to show what he could do.

He fared much better in the G League, averaging 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game over three seasons. The production was there. The opportunity just never came at the next level.

Now 25, Liddell heads to Greece with a chance to carve out a solid pro career overseas. Plenty of players have found a home that way.

It just has not worked out in the NBA, despite his best efforts.