After playing for more than a decade in the league, Patrick Beverley’s days in the NBA ended with the Bucks. The 6’1″ player was first selected by the LA Lakers in the 2009 draft but got traded to the Miami Heat. As per the reports, Heat even invited him to training camp, but released before the season started. “I played with Miami, with LeBron, and they cut me. I got drafted by the Lakers, they traded me to Miami. Bron got there, they cut me,” Beverley had once said of the move.

Subsequently, his first game in the league came with the Houston Rockets in season 2012-14. Although he did not create much of an impact in his debut season, Beverley showcased his defensive prowess the very next season. Averaging 10.2 points and 3.5 rebounds, he made it to the All-Defensive Second team in season 2013-14. After playing 5 seasons for the Rockets, he was suited for multiple other teams including the Clippers, Timberwolves, and Raptors. However, with a decline in stats, Beverley failed to land a contract with any team in 2024 free agency.

Patrick Beverley confirms his move to the Israeli Basketball League

Facing a 4-game ban for the upcoming season, and without any contract anyway, Beverley decided to take his talent to Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball League (IBL). Before moving on to the details of his contract, it’s important to know why Pat faced a 4-game ban. While part of it was for throwing the ball at spectators multiple times, his alleged inappropriate interaction with a reporter during media availability added to it.

Notably, the 6’1″ player refused to answer questions from ESPN’s Malinda Adams, as she had not subscribed to his podcast. The reason to highlight this part was to reflect on how serious Beverley is about his podcast. And this could also be one reason that he decided to move to the new overseas league. Apart from the contract amount, the club will reportedly help in promoting his podcast and selling merchandise. 

“They gave me everything I asked for… I couldn’t refuse,” read Beverley’s ‘Pat Bev Pod’ social media feed. As per the Israeli media, Bev agreed on a 2-year, $4 million deal. Although some reports suggested ‘Mr. 94 Feet’ failed to land any contract from the NBA, the other reports mentioned Rockets and Pistons were willing to offer him a veteran minimum deal of nearly $3.3 million.

But the former Rockets star stated that he wanted to go for a ‘historic’ contract over a minimum deal. Notably, according to Mikal Weiserman from Israel Hayom, the 6’1″ player will not only earn around $2 million during his stint with Hapoel but also an extra million in bonuses. The report further stated this to be a record salary at Hapoel Tel Aviv.

Beverley’s previous experience of playing in the overseas league

Before going pro, Beverley played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks. However, his academic issues made him ineligible to play for the team after his sophomore year. He even later accepted he faced suspension because of an academic integrity issue on a class paper. “Someone from Arkansas was doing papers, was doing me and some of my teammates’ papers,” he said, as per an ESPN article.

But rather than waiting out of his suspension, Bev hired an agent and decided to level up his skills for the overseas leagues. Some reports suggested that it was his fatherhood at the age of 20 that led to him signing a one-year contract for a six-figure amount with the Ukrainian team, Dnipro in October 2009. The contract, however, had no buyout, and Patrick Beverley was free to leave at season’s end without penalty.

Playing 46 games for Dnipro, he averaged 16.7 points, 7 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks. Apart from this, the 36-year-old also won the Ukrainian Basketball League’s Slam Dunk Contest. His next stint in the overseas basketball scenario came with Spartak St. Petersburg — a Russian professional basketball team. After his first appearance for the team in season 2010–11, Beverley signed a contract extension that locked him with the team through 2014 and included an option for the 2014–15 season.

Despite earning multiple accolades during this phase and displaying a dominant performance, the 6’1″ player did not intend to return after 2012. But Spartak urged Patrick Beverley to honor his contract, which could only become void if he received an NBA offer. Subsequently, ‘Mr. 94 Feet’ played with the team for the first half of the 2012-13 season, but he left after reaching an agreement with the Rockets in December 2012. With his return to overseas basketball, Beverley’s professional basketball career is nearing a full circle.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And, join us for the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.