Alexander Trent Tyus (; born January 8, 1988) is an American-born naturalized Israeli professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv () is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such as football, basketball, j ...

of the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

(IBSL). He was the 2018 Finals MVP. Having been naturalized as an Israeli citizen, he also represented the senior

Israeli national basketball team The Israel men's national basketball team () represents Israel in international basketball tournaments. They are administered by the Israeli Basketball Association. Israel is currently ranked 39th in the FIBA World Ranking. Israel has qualifi ...

. Standing at 2.03 meters (6' 8") tall, he is an athletic frontcourt player and good rebounder.

High school career

Tyus played for his first two years of high school for Hazelwood Central High School in St. Louis. He then played for two years for Harmony Prep, leading it to the prep school national championship game in 2006.

College career

Tyus attended the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

, where he played college basketball under head coach

Billy Donovan William John Donovan Jr. (born May 30, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before moving to the NBA, he served as the head ...

with the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni an ...

from 2007 to 2011, and was a member of two NCAA Tournament teams. He played a key role in the 2010–11 Gators' run to the Elite Eight with a 19-point, 17-rebound effort in the 83–74 overtime win over the

BYU Cougars The BYU Cougars are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Brigham Young University (BYU), located in Provo, Utah. BYU fields 21 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) varsity athletic teams. They are a member of the Big 12 C ...

in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. As of 2012, his 1,333 career points were 22nd-best in school history.

Professional career

Maccabi Ashdod (2011–2012)

On June 28, 2011, Tyus started his professional career with the Israeli team Maccabi Ashdod after finishing four years at Florida.

Pallacanestro Cantù (2012–2013)

On July 12, 2012, Tyus signed a contract with the Italian team

Pallacanestro Cantù Pallacanestro Cantù, known for sponsorship reasons as Acqua S.Bernardo Cantù, is an Italian professional basketball club that is based in Cantù, Lombardy. On the European-wide club competition scene, Cantù is second to Real Madrid – agai ...

where he played his first

EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

season.

Maccabi Tel Aviv (2013–2015)

On July 1, 2013, Tyus signed a two-year contract with

. He was named the MVP of the 2013-14 EuroLeague for the month of April. He was one of the key players to help Maccabi advance to the

EuroLeague Final Four The EuroLeague Final Four is the final four format championship of the European-wide top-tier level EuroLeague professional club basketball competition. The Euroleague Basketball Company used the final four format for the first time in 2002, fo ...

. Eventually, Maccabi won the EuroLeague championship.

Anadolu Efes (2015–2016)

On July 21, 2015, Tyus signed a one-year contract with the Turkish club

Anadolu Efes Anadolu Efes Spor Kulübü, commonly referred to as Anadolu Efes or simply Efes, is a Turkish professional basketball team based in Istanbul. Founded in 1976, the club was formerly known as Efes Pilsen until 2011. Efes is the 2021–22 EuroLeagu ...

. In 24 EuroLeague games with Anadolu Efes, he averaged 5.9 points and 3 rebounds.

Galatasaray (2016–2017)

On July 12, 2016, Tyus signed a one-year deal with

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Galatasaray and familiarly as Cimbom, is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul including basketball, wheelchair ...

Return to Maccabi (2017–2019)

On June 22, 2017, Tyus returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv for a second stint, signing a two-year contract. On May 27, 2018, Tyus recorded a season-high 20 points, shooting 10-of-12 from the field, along with five rebounds and two blocks in a 97–85 win over

Bnei Herzliya Bnei Herzliya Basket (, lit. ''Sons of Herzliya''), is a professional basketball club that is based in Herzliya, in central Israel. The club plays in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, the top division of Israeli basketball. History The club w ...

. On June 8, 2018, Tyus earned a spot in the All-Israeli League Second Team. On June 14, 2018, Tyus led Maccabi Tel Aviv to win the 2018 Israeli League Championship after a 95–75 victory over

Hapoel Holon Hapoel Holon Basketball Club (), is a professional basketball club based in Holon, Israel. The team plays in the Israeli Basketball Premier League (the top tier of Israeli basketball), and internationally in the Basketball Champions League. The ...

. He was subsequently named Finals MVP. On July 25, 2018, Tyus signed a one-year contract extension with Maccabi. On January 28, 2019, Tyus was named EuroLeague MVP of the Month after averaging 11.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks for 14.6 PIR per game, shooting 84 percent from the field in five games played in January. On March 28, 2019, Tyus recorded a

career-high 20 points, shooting 9-of-11 from the field, along with six rebounds in a 90–55 win over

Gran Canaria Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, a Spain, Spanish archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa. the island had a population of that constitut ...

. Tyus helped Maccabi win the 2019 Israeli League Championship, winning his second straight Israeli League title in the process.

UNICS Kazan (2019–2020)

On July 13, 2019, Tyus signed a 1+1 contract with

UNICS Kazan BC UNICS () is a professional basketball club in Kazan, Russia, that plays in the VTB United League, and formerly played in the EuroLeague. On February 28, 2022, EuroLeague Basketball suspended the team because of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukr ...

of the

VTB United League The VTB United League () is an international professional men's club basketball league that was founded in 2009. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus and Kazakhstan. Since 2013, it is the first tier of Russian ...

. He averaged 10.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

Galatasaray (2020)

On November 4, 2020, Tyus signed with

Real Madrid (2020–2021)

On December 29, 2020, he signed with

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

of the

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...

. On July 1, 2021, Tyus officially parted ways with the Spanish club.

Pınar Karşıyaka (2021–2022)

On November 8, 2021, he has signed with

Pınar Karşıyaka Pınar is a common feminine Turkish given name A Turkish name consists of an ''ad'' or an ''isim'' (given name; plural ''adlar'' and ''isimler'') and a ''soyadı'' or ''soyisim'' (surname). Turkish names exist in a "full name" format. While th ...

of the

Basketbol Süper Ligi The Basketball Super League (; TBSL), also known as the Türkiye Sigorta Basketbol Süper Ligi for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's professional basketball division of the Turkish basketball league system. It replaced the former Turkish Bas ...

(BSL) and

Basketball Champions League The Basketball Champions League (BCL), also commonly known as the FIBA Champions League, is an annual professional basketball competition for European sports club, clubs, organised by FIBA. It is the European professional club basketball system ...

(BCL). He played 33 games for the team, 23 starts, and averaged 5.8 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game.

ASVEL (2022–2023)

On October 27, 2022, he signed with

ASVEL Basket ASVEL Basket, currently known as LDLC ASVEL for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional basketball team located in the commune of Villeurbanne, a suburb of Lyon, France. The club, which is the basketball section of the ASVEL multi-sports ...

of the

LNB Pro A LNB may refer to: Sport * Liga Nacional de Baloncesto, a professional basketball league in the Dominican Republic * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol, an Argentine basketball league * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol (Paraguay), Liga Nacional de Básquetb ...

. He played 61 games for the team, 14 starts, and averaged 5.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game.

Runa Moscow (2023–2024)

In summer 2023, he signed with Runa Moscow of the

. He played 36 games for the team, seven starts, and averaged 7.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game.

Hapoel Jerusalem (2024)

On April 25, 2024, he signed with Hapoel Jerusalem of the

Pallacanestro Varese (2024–present)

On November 5, 2024, he signed with

Pallacanestro Varese Pallacanestro Varese, also called by its current sponsor's name, the Openjobmetis Varese, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Varese, Lombardy. Founded in 1945, the team plays in the Italian basketball league system, Italian first ...

of the

Lega Basket Serie A The Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) is a professional men's club (sport), club basketball list of basketball leagues, league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball ...

(LBA).

Third Stint with Maccabi

On April 23, 2025, Tyus signed with Israeli

until the end of the 2025 Israeli league season.

National team career

Tyus was a member of the senior

at the 2013 EuroBasket tournament.

Personal life

During his college years he was introduced to Judaism by his roommate, and in 2011 Tyus and his then wife, Alli Cecchini (volleyball player of

) who has Jewish roots,

converted to Judaism Conversion to Judaism ( or ) is the process by which non-Jews adopt the Jewish religion and become members of the Jewish ethnoreligious community. It thus resembles both conversion to other religions and naturalization. "Thus, by convertin ...

together. On June 10, 2012, Tyus received an Israeli passport.

Career statistics

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2012–13 , style="text-align:left;",

Cantù Cantù (; Brianzöö: ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Como, located at the center of the Brianza zone in Lombardy. It is the second largest city in Brianza. History The name could stem from that of the Canturigi, a population of I ...

, 10 , , 0 , , 19.8 , , .576 , , .000 , , .481 , , 3.7 , , .4 , , .2 , , 1.0 , , 8.1 , , 9.0 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2013–14† , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", Maccabi , 27 , , 2 , , 18.1 , , style="background:#CFECEC;", .718* , , .000 , , .526 , , 5.0 , , .3 , , .3 , , 1.0 , , 7.7 , , 10.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , 25 , , 5 , , 21.1 , , .611 , , , , .529 , , 5.2 , , .4 , , .4 , , 1.4 , , 7.2 , , 10.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

, 24 , , 8 , , 12.6 , , .537 , , .000 , , .446 , , 3.0 , , .3 , , .3 , , .3 , , 5.9 , , 6.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",

, 30 , , 10 , , 19.6 , , .683 , , .000 , , .553 , , 5.2 , , .4 , , .6 , , 1.1 , , 10.0 , , 14.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", Maccabi , 30 , , 2 , , 19.9 , , .617 , , , , .491 , , 5.0 , , .2 , , .5 , , 1.0 , , 8.3 , , 10.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , 30 , , 5 , , 18.3 , , .664 , , , , .625 , , 4.1 , , .3 , , .5 , , 1.1 , , 7.3 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2020–21 , style="text-align:left;",

, 20 , , 7 , , 12.0 , , .500 , , , , .750 , , 2.6 , , .5 , , .4 , , .4 , , 3.0 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2022–23 , style="text-align:left;",

ASVEL ASVEL Basket, currently known as LDLC ASVEL for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional basketball team located in the commune of Villeurbanne, a suburb of Lyon, France. The club, which is the basketball section of the ASVEL multi-sports ...

, 25 , , 6 , , 17.8 , , .689 , , .000 , , .621 , , 4.3 , , .4 , , .5 , , .8 , , 5.7 , , 8.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 221 , , 45 , , 17.8 , , .636 , , .000 , , .534 , , 4.4 , , .3 , , .4 , , 1.1 , , 7.2 , , 9.6

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2007–08 , style="text-align:left;",

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, 36 , , 0 , , 12.7 , , .540 , , .000 , , .543 , , 2.6 , , .3 , , .1 , , .6 , , 4.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2008–09 , style="text-align:left;",

, 36 , , 36 , , 26.2 , , .591 , , .000 , , .685 , , 6.2 , , .7 , , .5 , , .8 , , 12.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009–10 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 34 , , 28.4 , , .503 , , .400 , , .683 , , 6.9 , , .4 , , .5 , , 1.0 , , 11.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 36 , , 36 , , 25.1 , , .500 , , .333 , , .630 , , 6.2 , , .8 , , .4 , , .8 , , 9.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 152 , , 106 , , 23.0 , , .534 , , .375 , , .652 , , 5.4 , , .6 , , .4 , , .8 , , 9.4

References

External links

draftexpress.com profile

eurobasket.com profile

EuroLeague profile

TBLStat.net Profile

Florida Gators bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyus, Alex 1988 births Living people 21st-century American Jews 21st-century Israeli sportsmen African-American Jews American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Russia American expatriate basketball people in Spain American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball players Anadolu Efes S.K. players ASVEL Basket players Basketball players from St. Louis BC UNICS players Centers (basketball) Converts to Judaism Florida Gators men's basketball players Galatasaray S.K. (men's basketball) players Naturalized citizens of Israel Israeli men's basketball players Jewish American basketball players Karşıyaka basketball players Liga ACB players Maccabi Ashdod B.C. players Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. players Naturalised basketball players Pallacanestro Cantù players Pallacanestro Varese players Power forwards Real Madrid Baloncesto players Runa Basket Moscow players

High school career

College career

Professional career

Maccabi Ashdod (2011–2012)

Pallacanestro Cantù (2012–2013)

Maccabi Tel Aviv (2013–2015)

Anadolu Efes (2015–2016)

Galatasaray (2016–2017)

Return to Maccabi (2017–2019)

UNICS Kazan (2019–2020)

Galatasaray (2020)

Real Madrid (2020–2021)

Pınar Karşıyaka (2021–2022)

ASVEL (2022–2023)

Runa Moscow (2023–2024)

Hapoel Jerusalem (2024)

Pallacanestro Varese (2024–present)

Third Stint with Maccabi

National team career

Personal life

Career statistics

EuroLeague

College

See also

References

External links