By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Maccabi Tel Aviv officially reacted to recent rumors concerning players of the team, including a reported link between Rokas Jokubaitis and fellow EuroLeague club FC Bayern Munich.
On Sunday, the Yellows clarified the status of the 24-year-old Lithuanian point guard, and also delivered a similar message on 26-year-old French forward Jaylen Hoard.
Confirming a recent report by insider Moshe Barda, Jokubaitis was labeled as a Maccabi player heading to a second season with the Israeli club. In an additional note, Maccabi stressed that the entire organization values the Mazeikiai native, with everyone eager to reunite with him at the top of preseason training.
Switching to Hoard, reports about negotiating a contract buyout with the French import were described as completely unfounded in the press release. The native of Le Havre recently penned a three-year contract extension, as announced on Tuesday.
Maccabi also requested fans to remain skeptical about such rumors about players during the offseason.
In the 2024-25 installment of Europe’s premier club continental competition, Jokubaitis tallied 12.6 points and 4.6 assists per game, while Hoard had 14.7 points per contest.
Joined by two summer signings in the form of T.J. Leaf and Gur Lavy, the list of players under contract extends to Tamir Blatt, Jimmy Clark III, John DiBartolomeo, Will Rayman, Roman Sorkin, and Trevion Williams, besides Jokubaitis and Hoard.
In the 2025-26 season, the team coached by Oded Kattash is projected to compete in the EuroLeague and domestic competitions in Israel.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net