Maccabi Tel Aviv signs former NBA, CBA player Derrick Williams

JERUSALEM -- Israeli basketball champion Maccabi Tel Aviv has signed 30-year-old power forward Derrick Williams, who previously played in the NBA and the CBA, the club said on Wednesday.

The Israeli Euroleague club added that the player's contract is for the upcoming season.

In 2011, after playing basketball for Arizona Wildcats, he was selected with the second overall pick in the NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

His NBA career included Minnesota, the Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers.

His record includes 428 games in NBA regular seasons, averaging 8.9 points and 4 rebounds in 20.7 minutes per evening.

At Cleveland, Williams also played eight games in the 2017 NBA Playoffs, including three games in the finals series in which the Cavs lost to the Golden State Warriors.

Later that year he joined the Chinese club Tianjin Gold Lions, where he played 15 games, averaging 20 points and 6.6 rebounds in 29.8 minutes per game.

His European career, which began in 2018, has so far included Bayern Munich, with whom he won the Basketball Bundesliga championship, Fenerbahce, where he won the Turkish Cup, and Valencia.

"Williams will give us a lot of power in the forward position. He knows the Euroleague and will fight with us to achieve our goals," said Maccabi coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos.

"I'm looking forward to playing in front of the passionate fans in Tel Aviv and helping the team compete for Israeli and Euroleague championships," Williams said.