Maccabi Tel Aviv Set to Sign Guard Pierria Henry Ahead of January Return

Maccabi Tel Aviv is reportedly set to sign American guard with Senegalese citizenship Pierria Henry. The former Hapoel Eilat player, who previously featured under coach Oded Kattash, will only be eligible to play starting in January due to a four-year suspension that sidelined him from basketball since January 2023.

Simultaneously, the club continues its active search for immediate reinforcements. "We are trying to strengthen the roster overall; a single player will not be enough," a club official stated.

Henry, 33 and standing 1.93 meters tall, was suspended following a drug test after a November 2022 EuroLeague match between Baskonia and Maccabi Tel Aviv that yielded irregular results and findings of sample tampering. He received an immediate provisional suspension in January, was released by Baskonia, and spent a year fighting the ruling before FIBA ultimately upheld the ban. An ensuing appeal was also rejected. Having repeatedly vowed to return once his ban expires, Henry is now poised to receive his comeback opportunity with the yellow-and-blue squad.

A 2015 graduate of the University of Charlotte, Henry began his European career with German side Ratiopharm Ulm before joining Oded Kattash at Hapoel Eilat, where he established himself as one of the Israeli Premier League's top guards. He subsequently played for Tofaş Bursa before finding a prominent role with Baskonia, twice leading the EuroLeague in steals. His career also included a two-and-a-half-year stint with Baskonia interspersed with a season at Fenerbahçe, alongside multiple prior links to Maccabi Tel Aviv.