Jasiel Rivero Joins Valencia Basket on One-Month Temporary Contract

The Cuban power forward joins Xavi Albert's squad in what will be his second stint with the orange-and-black club

Valencia Basket has reached an agreement with power forward Jasiel Rivero (2.06m, Havana, 31/10/1993, 32 years old) to join the men's professional roster on a one-month contract.

The Cuban international big man, a free agent after parting ways with Crvena Zvezda Belgrade this summer—with whom he competed in last season's EuroLeague—joined the first team's training sessions on Monday, August 24 to strengthen workouts amid the absences of players called up by their national teams. Now, he has signed this temporary commitment to contribute during the preseason and the start of the official season.

This will be Jasiel Rivero's second stint as a Valencia Basket player, having spent two seasons with the club between 2021 and 2023, appearing in 105 games in the orange jersey with averages of 10.8 points, 4 rebounds, and 12.2 efficiency rating. He was named Liga Endesa Player of the Month on two occasions, in October and December 2022.

Before arriving in Valencia for that first spell, Rivero began to make his mark in his native Cuba before playing professional basketball in Uruguay and Argentina. His arrival in Europe came with San Pablo Burgos in 2019. During his two seasons with the Castilian club, he helped the team win two Basketball Champions League titles. His performance in the 2020-21 season, when he was named to the All-Second Team in both Liga Endesa and the BCL, opened the doors to Valencia Basket.

In his second season as a Valencia player, 2022-23, Rivero made his EuroLeague debut. A competition he has not left since, accumulating 93 games in the tournament. After his Valencia Basket stint ended, Rivero played two seasons with Maccabi Tel Aviv, averaging 8.4 points and 3.5 rebounds for 9.8 efficiency rating with the yellow squad. Last season, a foot injury limited him to just 9 games in the continental top competition with Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, recording 4.8 points and 1.7 rebounds.