Patrick Beverley signed a two-year, $4-million deal with the Israeli Basketball Premier League last July to play with Hapoel Tel Aviv. The deal included additional benefits, such as selling his merchandise and promoting his podcast.
He has yet to truly begin his stint with his Israeli team, and already he seems to have caused quite a stir. Trolls had come to say that Beverley’s deal was the largest deal the club ever offered, and in the latest episode of his “The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone,” the former NBA guard tried to dismiss the trolls, inadvertently citing a religious stereotype when doing so.
“Not all Jewish people are cheap. The guy that gave me this contract, he was pretty generous,” said Beverley.
The 36-year-old will be headed to Bulgaria this month to join the training camp that will end on August 19. The team will later travel to Tel Aviv, and then to Belgrade, Serbia.
Patrick Beverley explained that his decision to leave the NBA and return to European basketball was mainly because he didn’t want to sign minimum deals in the NBA.
“I don’t think I’m a minimum player, but I’m a minimum player if Kyle Lowry and Russell Westbrook take the minimum. I don’t think that’s fair to me,” said Beverley. “I work on my craft harder than a lot of guys in the NBA. Once you take one minimum, teams are going to offer you another one.”
Beverley felt he had a better season than Kyle Lowry and Russell Westbrook. “No disrespect to them, but if they take the minimum, NBA teams are going to tell me the same thing… I have a lot of basketball left, had one of my best years on both sides, especially offensively, and I feel like I have a lot more in the tank,” he added.
Patrick Beverley wants more out of his basketball career
Patrick Beverley entered the NBA in 2013, playing for the Houston Rockets, LA Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, LA Lakers, Chicago Bulls, Philadelphia 76ers, and Milwaukee Bucks. He expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to play in the NBA, but he wanted more.
In the same episode, Beverley talked about having a phenomenal career in the NBA, he also expressed not wanting to “stand in the corner.”
Beverley reflected, “I had a game when I played with the Bucks. We went Game 5, ball in my hands, dipsy doo, double-double. In the starting five, there are four of us, me, John Stockton, Steph Curry, and Chris Paul. And then Game 6, we get a little healthy, ball out of my hand. Not because I did anything wrong, because it’s hierarchy. I’m like, ‘Nah, I don’t think it’s the best brand for me.'”
He may be taking his talents elsewhere, but Beverley has not dismissed the idea of returning to the NBA. For now, it will be curious to see how he fares with his Israeli team.
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