By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
T.J. Leaf and Tai Odiase were ruled out by Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv and Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv for Round 12 of the 2025-26 EuroLeague Regular Season on Thursday.
The 28-year-old forward/center of the Yellows is sidelined for the trip to Italy and a meeting with Virtus Bologna in PalaDozza on Friday due to a calf muscle strain. The former NBA player, a veteran of 151 appearances in the league based in North America, averaged 9.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.7 blocks, and 0.5 steals per contest over his first 11 features in Europe’s premier club competition.
Also, recent signing Gabriel Lundberg remains unregistered. However, the remaining players are available for head coach Oded Kattash.
The most recent addition to the injury list of the Reds, 30-year-old Odiase is out for Thursday’s contest opposite EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in Unipol Forum with a sprained ankle. In eight appearances off the bench in his first EuroLeague campaign, the experienced center tallied 1.5 points, 1.1 rebounds, 0.2 blocks, 0.2 steals, and 0.2 assists per contest.
Tomer Ginat (shoulder), Yam Madar (knee surgery), and Bruno Caboclo (back surgery) remain out for the team coached by Dimiris Itoudis.
Entering Round 12, the Tel Aviv outfits are in an entirely different situation, with Hapoel tied in first place with Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet behind an 8-3 W-L tally, and Maccabi half a game away from the last spot at 3-8. At the domestic level, Hapoel sits 5-0 and Maccabi is 5-1.