Bonzie Colson Returns to Maccabi Tel Aviv on a Two-Year Deal

Bonzie Colson has signed a two-year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv and will return for a second stint after spending the last two years with Fenerbahce. The deal makes the 30-year-old forward the Israeli champions’ first signing for the 2026/27 season, and he is coming back to Yad Eliyahu, where he was a fan favorite from 2022 to 2024.

The negotiations reportedly began positively from the first conversations. Colson wanted to return to Maccabi despite other offers, and club sporting director Claudio Coldebella played a major role in bringing him back. Another key factor was that head coach Oded Kattash remained in charge and wanted Colson back as well; the two have a strong relationship and spoke several times recently.

Colson had a Fenerbahce release clause worth 200,000 euros. He earned $1.5 million per season in Turkey, and his salary at Maccabi is expected to be the same. He is widely regarded as one of the club’s most beloved players, and during his first spell he developed into one of the EuroLeague’s leading players.

In his two seasons with Maccabi, Colson came within one win of reaching the Final Four, but the team fell 3-2 to Monaco and Panathinaikos. In 2023/24 he averaged 12.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals, shooting 55.1% on twos, 38.7% on threes and 79.4% from the line. His first season at Fenerbahce ended with a EuroLeague title, but he averaged only 6.7 points in 18:27 minutes, and his role declined late in the current season, when he finished with 7.1 points in 16:52 minutes per game.