The versatile Israeli big, son of former Maccabist Brad Leaf, bolsters the yellows’ front line: “A dream come true”. Coldebella: “Great addition”. Kattash: “We envision him progressing here”
Leaf is primarily a power forward, but can use his size to play center as well. He is a mobile and versatile big who was selected 18th in the 2017 NBA Draft. He logged 146 games in the association with Indiana and Portland, before spending a few years in the CBA. This past season he scored 22.1 points per game with the Nanjing Monkey Kings while adding 12.5 boards and 4.3 assists. As an Israeli, he represented the U18 national team in 2015 and is part of the men’s roster for the upcoming FIBA EuroBasket.
“Signing T.J. Leaf was one of our goals”, said Maccabi’s general manager, Claudio Coldebella. “For years, the club tried to bring T.J. to Tel Aviv and we are thrilled that he will join us soon. It’s a great addition to our team as we will strengthen our Israeli core as part of our philosophy. He has a lot of experience from the NBA and abroad, a talented player with lots of motivation to prove himself in the highest level of Europe”.
“T.J. is a player with experience at the highest levels at holds immense potential”, stated head coach Oded Kattash. “He brings impressive offensive capabilities. We envision him progressing here and leading us to our goals in the upcoming season”.
“Being able to play for such a historic club in a place that means so much to me is a dream come true”, shared Leaf in his first statement as a Maccabi player. “I would like to thank the coaching staff and all the front office and management for this opportunity. Can’t wait until I have a chance to play in front of the amazing Maccabi fans. Let’s get to work”.
Ty Jacob Leaf was born in Tel Aviv on April 30th, 1997 to Karen and Brad Leaf. Brad played in Israel for 17 seasons, was named league MVP in 1990 and finished his career with three championships with Maccabi. In 1999 the family moved to San Diego, California, where T.J. grew to immense height and developed his basketball skills.
In 2015 he joined the Israeli U18 national team and was crowned the MVP of the European Championships Division B, after leading the blue-and-white to the finals with 16 PPG and 8.4 RPG. On that team he played with current Maccabi guard Tamir Blatt. Later on, T.J. played college ball for the UCLA Bruins, starring alongside Lonzo Ball with 16.3 PPG and 8.2 RPG in his only season. He declared for the Draft and was selected – just like his father – by the Pacers.
Leaf spent three seasons in Indianapolis and one season with the Blazers, and then decided to take his talents across the Pacific to China. He played in Guangzhou, Beijing and Nanjing, where he notched a whopping 33.5 PIR on average. Now he is back to where he was born.
