"What the f**k happening" - Patrick Beverley shares insight on Tel Aviv stint during Israel's war situation
Veteran American basketball guard Patrick Beverley is being cautious with his stint with Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv amid the ongoing armed conflict in Israel. He is closely keeping tabs on what is going on and weighing options if something untoward happens.
The 12-year NBA veteran signed this July to play in the Israeli league and is currently in Tel Aviv after flying there from Bulgaria along with some of his teammates despite security concerns amid attacks on Israel by Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Iran. He said that they were assured that they were safe and were proceeding with their training.
In his podcast, the Pat Bev Pod, 36-year-old Beverley shared their situation in the region, highlighting that while they are safe, there are still a lot of concerns.
"I just landed in Tel Aviv. You know, I spoke to some of my Israeli teammates, you know captains of the team and from their perspective that 'You know Pat we wouldn't go back if it wasn't safe. We would just fly our whole family to us.' They told me that it was safe to come back and I'm here now.
"We get to the gym normal. You know, you hear about it. Now you hear about some stuff might be happening. I don't know but you see it on my Israeli teammates' faces and then I just started getting a whole bunch of s**t, a whole bunch of s**t, and I'm like, 'Oh, what the f**k happening?'"
While Patrick Beverley and some of his teammates are already in Tel Aviv, the rest of the team, including coach Stefanos Dedas, remained in Bulgaria for training. However, they are set to rejoin the squad in Belgrade next week for their EuroCup campaign.
Patrick Beverley was aware of situation in Israel before signing with Tel Aviv squad
Patrick Beverley said that he was aware of the situation in Israel before he decided to play for Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv in the Israeli league.
Speaking on his podcast back in August, the fiery guard shared that he did consider the situation prevailing in Israel and agreed to play there after deeming it safe.
He said (via Eurohoops):
"Safety is important. If a bomb goes off, I'm gone. But most of our EuroCup games are in Bulgaria... I haven't got knowledge of any unsafe places in Tel Aviv now. My old teammate told me that in every apartment, there is a bomb room, and he used it to hang up clothes. He was there three or four months last season, and nothing happened."
Patrick Beverley played in the NBA last season, splitting time with the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks.