Bonzie Colson Nears Two-Year Return to Maccabi Tel Aviv

Maccabi Tel Aviv is turning to roster building for next season after Game 4 of the playoff final and its 58th championship, and expects Bonzie Colson to sign a two-year deal within the coming week. The reported salary is about $1.5 million per season.

Club officials say talks with the forward have been ongoing for some time, and that he has shown a real desire to return. However, Olympiacos has recently entered the race, and Maccabi fears that Colson’s future is slowing down its squad planning. Despite the Greek champions’ offer, people around the club believe he will still choose Maccabi and sign the contract that has already been presented to him in the next few days.

Colson, 30, 1.98 meters tall, played two seasons for Maccabi from 2022 to 2024, helping the team reach the EuroLeague playoffs twice in a row. In his first season he averaged 10.7 points and 5.6 rebounds in EuroLeague play, and in his second he improved to 12.6 points and 5.3 rebounds.

Although he had a guaranteed contract, Colson left after the October 7 attacks and the demanding war-time season, along with Wade Baldwin and Lorenzo Brown. He then joined Fenerbahce, where he has spent the last two seasons. Last season he helped the Turkish club win the EuroLeague as a role player, and this year it reached the Final Four before losing in the semifinal and later winning the Turkish title.

In recent weeks, especially since the playoffs began, his role has diminished, with less than 10 minutes per game in Fenerbahce’s latest EuroLeague outings. That led him to activate his exit clause. He finished the EuroLeague season with averages of 7.1 points and 3 rebounds per game.