Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv officially signs Jalen Reynolds
The athletic and strong center, who had an excellent season with Bayern Munich uniform in the Euroleague, returns on a two-year contract. Sfairopoulos: “We Know that he will play even better since he gained more European experience”
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv has signed Jalen Reynolds (28, 2.08 meters) for the next two years with an option for another season. The American center, a long and strong rebounder and scorer, gained experience in the Euroleague last season and showed great ability as a Bayern Munich player. He has played for Maccabi in the past and has experience outside the United States in Italy, Spain, Russia and China.
Reynolds played for Maccabi in the 2019/20 season. He was brought in as a backup to the injured Tarik Black and continued at the club until the Euroleague season stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last season he took part in all 39 of Bayern’s Euroleague games and provided 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and more steals in 21 minutes on average per game in the senior European competition.
“I’m very happy that we are bringing Jalen Reynolds back to Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv”, Coach Giannis Sfairopoulos told maccabi.co.il. “We know him well, he knows us well and he will be able to adjust fast and get ready to help the team quickly. We know that in his second appearance with us he will play even better and support the team more effectively since he gained more European experience”.
“I am very happy and thankful for the opportunity to come back to Maccabi”, said Jalen Reynolds. “My first experience showed me Maccabi is a great club and made my decision easy this time. I can’t wait to see the arena full of amazing fans. I will bring all of my energy and focus to help the team win everything. Yalla Maccabi!”.
Jalen Reynolds was born on December 30, 1992 in Detroit, attended high school in New Hampshire and played four years at Xavier. In the summer of 2016 he signed his first professional contract with Recanati from the second division in Italy and immediately impressed with an average of 18.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. His good ability stood out and in January 2017 he moved to Reggio Emilia from the senior league.
He also remained on the team in the 2017/18 season and provided 10.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in the EuroCup. In May 2018 he was brought on by Barcelona at the end of the season and only managed to play two games. Two months later the center signed at Zenit St. Petersburg and presented a great season in the Russian team uniform.
Reynolds averaged 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game in the tough VTB league. In the EuroCup, the center played 24.9 minutes per evening, scoring 13.8 points and picking up 8.1 rebounds. His good ability led him in the summer of 2019 to a contract in China, where he played in the ranks of Zhejiang Lions and provided 13.8 points, 10 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game on average. Prior to his previous arrival at Maccabi, he played for the Stockton Kings, the Sacramento G-League team (8.4 points and 6.1 rebounds).