Keaton Wallace touched down at Ben Gurion Airport this week to complete his move to Maccabi Tel Aviv, arriving with a smile despite a rough landing — some of his luggage never made it onto the flight.
"It's very crowded here. I was told there wouldn't be many people, but it's packed and I lost my bags, so that's how it started," Wallace said, according to ONE, taking the mishap in stride as photographers and club staff greeted him at arrivals.
The 27-year-old guard arrives fresh off his own wedding, having married his wife Tserian just days earlier, before flying straight into a new chapter of his career in the EuroLeague.
"I'm excited to start working now. Get on the court, go to the gym, meet my teammates," he said. "I only heard great things about Tel Aviv. No one ever said anything bad. When we get on the court, everyone will see the work we've invested."
Wallace's arrival closes out one of the club's more notable backcourt additions of the summer. He spent the last two seasons in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks after a college career at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he was a three-time All-Conference USA Second Team selection.
He signed a reported two-year deal with Maccabi worth roughly $2.4 million, with Wallace averaging 3.5 points and 1.8 assists while shooting 37.3 percent from three-point range in his most recent NBA season.
He is not the only new face expected in Oded Katash's locker room. Center Daniel Theis, guard Gabriel Lundberg and forward Jaylen Hoard are all part of the incoming class and are due to arrive in Tel Aviv shortly to complete the roster overhaul.
Theis, who reportedly carries the largest contract on the roster at close to $2.2 million, gives Maccabi a proven veteran EuroLeague and NBA big man, while Wallace is being brought in to add scoring punch and ball-handling off the bench.
For now, Wallace says the missing bags are a minor footnote. The real test, he insists, starts once he steps onto the Menora Mivtachim Arena court for the first time with his new teammates.
