Top Estonian basketball player moves to Spanish side Tenerife
Estonian basketball star Henri Drell, fresh off a dominant G League season in the US, is taking his talents to Spain, signing with top-tier club CB 1939 Canarias.
CB 1939 Canarias, for sponsorship reasons known as La Laguna Tenerife, are in the FIBA Champions League quarter finals.
Drell spent most of his U.S. career in the NBA G League, the NBA's second-tier affiliated league initially playing for the Windy City Bulls and this season for Rip City Remix, the Portland Trailblazers' G League partner.
In 20 games for Rip City, Drell, who plays at small forward, averaged 18.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game.
OFICIAL | Henri Drell, nuevo jugador de La Laguna Tenerife ➡️ https://t.co/y7xrqQh3h4
— La Laguna Tenerife (@CB1939Canarias) March 13, 2025
¡Bienvenido, @henridrell, a la Isla que despierta emociones!
#WelcomeHenri #VamosCanarias pic.twitter.com/ljbsjI3cbI
Having played for Bamberg (Germany) from 2016-19 and Pesaro (Italy) from 2019-21, Drell, 24, became only the second Estonian to play in an NBA game after Martin Müürsepp when he appeared in four games for the Chicago Bulls back in March 2023.
On this side of the Atlantic, Tenerife is having a great season, currently holding second place in the Spanish Liga ACB with 17 wins and five losses.
Tenerife has also won 11 of its last 12 games across all competitions and recently became the first team to secure a spot in the FIBA Basketball Champions League quarterfinals.
The team's roster includes Spanish national side players Joan Sastre and Jaime Fernandez, as well as 2022 world champion David Krämer.
The team captain is the evergreen Marcelo Huertas, who will celebrate his 42nd birthday in May.
Janari Jõesaar is another Estonian who has also previously played for Tenerife.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Anders Nõmm
