Basketball great Haddadi back to Iranian league
Hamed Haddadi, widely regarded as the greatest Iranian basketball player of all time, made a dramatic return to the Iranian Pro League by signing for Palayesh Naft Abadan until the end of the season.
A former center of the NBA franchises Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns, Haddadi, 38, joined the Iranian club after four years with China’s Sichuan Blue Whales.
A three-time FIBA Asia Cup champion with Iran, and a four-time MVP in the competition, the 7-foot-2 center called time on his international duty after country’s final outing in last September’s FIBA World Cup against Lebanon in Jakarta, Indonesia.
His previous appearance in the Iranian league came with Petrochimi Bandar Imam in 2018.
Palayesh Naft Abadan is sixth in the 12-team table after 12 rounds of matches.