Veteran guard Patrick Beverley made a name for himself in the NBA with his intense defense and fiery personality, and now, he’s taken that act overseas.
More specifically, Beverley has taken his talents to Israeli club Hapoel Tel Aviv, which is suddenly favored to win the EuroCup this season. Not a big surprise, as the roster not only includes Beverley, but also former NBA players such as Johnathan Motley and Bruno Caboclo, along with some of the best in Europe.
Anyway, the adjustment to international play hasn’t just been felt by Beverley. Hapoel coach Stefanos Dedas said he too needs to adapt.
“Not all of my players are easy to coach,” Dedas said on the Podium House Shoot podcast, via BasketNews. “Patrick Beverley is not easy to coach because he brings habits from the NBA, but I talk to him every day, and he tells me, ‘Coach me.’ No one says he’s a one-man show because his mentality is that of a high-level player, as he was in the NBA.”
Beverley announced in July that he was signing with Hapoel Tel Aviv.
“They gave me everything I asked for… I couldn’t refuse,” he said, via the Pat Bev Pod account on X.
Speaking of his podcast, Beverley has been suspended by the NBA for four games for throwing a ball at a fan and his end-of-the-season rant against a reporter. He has also been banned from ESPN.
Should Beverley return to the NBA at some point, he will still have to serve out his suspension. For the record, he had been suspended by the league twice before.
Beverley, playing for the Bucks, hit an innocent female Pacers fan when throwing the ball into the stands during Game 6 of their first-round playoff matchup.
It didn’t end there, as the 35-year-old Beverley continued to let his emotions get the best of him. Following the game, when being interviewed in the locker room, the 12th-year player had an uncomfortable interaction with ESPN reporter/field producer Malinda Adams.
Beverley told the ESPN reporter that she couldn’t interview him during the media session, and here is how the exchange went:
Beverley turned to Adams, “You subscribe to my pod?
Adams responded, “Do I subscribe?… I do not.”
Beverley stated, “You can’t interview me then, no disrespect.”
Adams then tried to sneakily put the mic near him for the rest of the interview, which Beverley saw and again scolded her, telling her to get the mic out of his face.
“Move that mic please or just get out the circle please for me, please ma’am, if you not subscribed to my pod.”
After the backlash, Beverley took to social media to reply to a video that showed him firing the ball into the stands. He called the video misleading.
As Beverley tweeted on X, “Not Fair at all. Exchanged between a fan and our ball club all night. We warned and asked for help all night. Not fair.”
Beverley then later tweeted an apology in the morning saying, “But I have to be better. And I will.”
The reporter who wasn’t subscribed to Beverley’s podcast also confirmed the player’s personal apology, and she gave out a forgiving statement to give closure on the situation.
Nevertheless, despite the apology, ESPN still decided to ban Beverley from future guest appearances on any of the network’s shows, due to his rude behavior. As a result, Beverley will be able to put all of his time and focus into his own podcast.
Beverley, who was acquired via trade from the 76ers earlier this season, saw his role increase during the postseason, being that Bucks’ superstars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard were each dealing with injuries. In his ninth season appearing in the NBA playoffs, Beverley averaged 8.2 points (41% FG; 36.4% 3PT), 5.5 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 35 minutes per game.
For Hapoel Tel Aviv, landing a known commodity such as Beverley is apparently just the start.
“Obviously, we wanted to win, and we are here to change that this season. I’ve learned in my career that it’s not important to have big-name players or serious offensive weapons,” Dedas said. “You have to have good chemistry.”
(Brandon Santomauro contributed to this report.)
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