It is no secret that the Pacers and Bucks do not like each other. A budding rivalry that hit the grill in December and boiled over as the months passed ended in rather dominant fashion as the Pacers beat the Bucks in six games in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs to advance to the second round for the first time in a decade, finishing the season with a staggering 8-3 record against Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and company.
Among the biggest nuisances on the Bucks was Patrick Beverley. During the series, Beverley stood out quite a bit as not only an agitator on the court but an unlikeable presence off the court. Of course, we all know about the incident at the end of Game 6 where Beverley threw a ball at a fan in the crowd out of anger and followed it up by refusing to speak to reporters unless they were subscribed to his podcast.
Well, as it turns out, the Pacers do not have to worry about him anymore, and neither does any other team.
Patrick Beverley plans to sign a 'historic' contract with Israeli club Hapoel Tel Aviv
As was reported from his official podcast's social media, Beverley plans to leave the NBA after 12 seasons to sign with Israeli basketball club Hapoel Tel Aviv, meaning he will not return to the Bucks next year as they try to get revenge on the Pacers, or any NBA roster at that.
BREAKING: @patbev21 is headed to Europe. “They gave me everything I asked for… I couldn’t refuse.” Says Pat Bev
— Pat Bev Pod (@PatBevPod) July 16, 2024
He plans to sign with Hapoel Tel Aviv BC
This is not the only Bucks member who the Pacers metaphorically sent packing, as former Bucks coach Adrian Griffin was fired on January 23, 2024, after only 43 games, which included four losses to the Pacers.
Of course, there is little to no chance that Beverley's departure from the league has anything to do with losing to the Pacers. A combination of age, loss of athleticism, and teams not offering much definitely contribute to this, and if Beverley can get more money while being one of the faces of overseas basketball, all the more power to him.
It's just funny how his move overseas comes right after an embarrassing showing in the playoffs and a suspension that will be postponed if he does not start the 2024-25 season on an NBA team.
Since Beverley is 36 years old and probably on his last legs as a professional basketball player, he probably will not be returning to the league. This means that his last memory as an NBA player was him getting angry and throwing the ball at fans at the end of Game 6 after talking trash all series, followed by refusing to speak with an interviewer because she was not subscribed to his podcast. A fitting ending to an unexpectedly long, but tumultuous NBA career.
So long Patrick Beverley, it was fun beating you.