Hapoel Tel Aviv Spends Over $2,500 Per Minute on Liwei Randolph Before Releasing Him

Hapoel Tel Aviv officially released basketball player Liwei Randolph on July 5, 2026, after he appeared in only 18 games for the team. Randolph, a former Maccabi player, joined Hapoel late in February with a contract worth $500,000 until the end of the season. Additionally, the club paid a $150,000 buyout fee to Zenit for his transfer.

During his time with Hapoel, Randolph played a total of 260 minutes across 12 EuroLeague games and 6 domestic league matches. This means the club paid him approximately $1,923 per minute of play. Including the buyout cost, the total expenditure rose to about $2,500 per minute on the court. On a per-game basis, Hapoel paid nearly $28,000 for each game Randolph played, and over $36,000 per game when factoring in the buyout.

Hapoel Tel Aviv had invested heavily in player acquisitions throughout the previous season, but Randolph's limited playing time and high cost led to his release. The club's coach at the time was Ofer Yanai. This financial calculation highlights the significant investment versus the limited on-court contribution from Randolph during his brief tenure with the team.