The Hapoel Tel Aviv basketball team has suspended player Patrick Beverley effective immediately.

While the Israeli club did not disclose specific reasons for the suspension on their social media account, reports from the Basket News portal suggest that the American point guard was benched due to comments made about his coach Dimitris Itudis.

Relations between Beverley and Itudis became strained following a loss to Hapoel Beer Sheva, during which Beverley played only nine minutes, failing to take the court in the second half at all.

When questioned about Beverley’s absence in the latter part of the game, Itudis replied, “Because I am the coach.”

Following this, Beverley expressed his discontent on social media by posting a laughing emoji.

At the age of 36, Beverley joined Hapoel last summer after spending 12 seasons in the NBA, where he played for seven different teams including the Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, and Los Angeles Lakers.

In 2017, he was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Team and has also been recognized twice as a member of the Second Best Defensive Team in the league.

This season, Beverley has been averaging 10.7 points, 4.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and a utility index of 13.6 in the Eurocup, contributing to Hapoel Tel Aviv’s second place in Group A with a record of 11 wins and 6 losses.

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