By John Rammas/ irammas@eurohoops.net
A key member of Hapoel Tel Aviv stays with the team for the long term.
Antonio Blakeney will be part of the team at least for three more seasons.
Per the EuroLeague press release: Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv has announced on Friday that it extended its guard Antonio Blakeney, who is now tied with the club until the summer of 2029. Blakeney (1.93 meters, 29 years old) has two new seasons added to his contract, after he his previous deal was expiring at the end of the 2026-27 season.
Last season, in his EuroLeague debut, Blakeney played in 41 games averaging 13.2 points, having knocked down 90 three-pointers on 40.0% shooting, along with grabbing 2.3 rebounds as competition debutant Hapoel was ousted in the EuroLeague Playoffs against the eventual runner-up Real Madrid in four games.
Meanwhile, in 13 appearances in the Israeli League, Blakeney had 12.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists as Hapoel lost in the playoff finals.
“I am signed for the next three years, and hopefully more and more and more years after that,” Blakeney said. “We fell short of a couple of goals last year. With everybody coming back, having got the same core, we are going to try to make it happen next season.”
Two season ago, Blakeney played a key role for Hapoel in the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup, averaging 13.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and a PIR of 12.2 in 17 games, to help the team win the competition, and book a place in the EuroLeague. His EuroCup Playoff heroics will forever be remembered in Tel Aviv.
Blakeney had 32 points and 9 rebounds in Game 3 of the semifinals on the road against Valencia Basket, hitting five three-pointers in the fourth quarter to lead Hapoel to a go-ahead 92-94 win. He followed that up by shining in the 2025 EuroCup Finals against Gran Canaria, averaging 22.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and a PIR of 23.5 in two games.
Blakeney started his professional career with Chicago of the NBA, and also played for Windy City and Canton of the G League, Jiangsu Nangang Dragons Nanjing and Nanjing Tongxi Monkey Kings of China, Al-Ahli Manama of Bahrein, and Hapoel Altshuler Shaham Beer Shave of Israel before joining Hapoel.
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