Hapoel Inks Justin Smith for 2 years

Hapoel 'Bank Yahav' Jerusalem is happy to announce the signing of Forward/Center Justin Smith (25, 2.01) for the next two years. Justin joins Austin Wiley, Noam Dovrat, Speedy Smith, Khadeen Karington, Yovel Zoosman, Or Cornelius, Nimrod Levi, Chris Johnson, and Gabi Chachashvili who are all signed for next season.

Smith completed 3 years at Indiana University before concluding a successful senior season at Arkansas, averaging 13.6 points and 7.2 rebounds. He then spent two years in the NBA G League, with development teams of Toronto and Philadelphia. Hapoel Holon was his first stop in Europe, and we all remember his impressive performances that earned him a spot on the Winner League’s Second Team with 16.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and an efficiency rating of 18.3.

"The games against Hapoel were always intense”, Justin said after signing, "I am very happy that from now on, the Red fans will be on my side. I am very excited about the upcoming season and look forward to collaborating with an excellent group of players who were very challenging to play against. We will have an excellent team, and I hope to bring what everyone has already seen from me - and much more. Yalla Hapoel!"

Head Coach Yonatan Alon, said: "What Justin showed last season was just a small taste of what he is capable of. He will add a dimension of athleticism and explosiveness that we were looking for in the frontcourt alongside game intelligence and significant upside for the coming years, and I am confident he will integrate well with the roster we are building”.