Mario Hezonja is Latest In Long Line of Players Trying to Stick In Second NBA Tenure

Making the NBA is not an easy thing to do. For a long time, each team would have 12 active players. Consider 30 teams, 12 players, that’s 360 spots. With the expanded slots and two-ways of course, there is a bit more of a chance to get into the league.

And that’s why so many guys who may struggle to either perform or get on the floor end up playing overseas. A list was published on X last night of 66 players with NBA experience that all moved to Europe just this offseason.

As Mario Hezonja prepares to re-enter for his second NBA tenure seven years later, it’s a reminder that it can never be taken for granted.

Mario Hezonja Just The Latest To Return to NBA

As mentioned above, it can be tough to make the league. For a lottery pick like Mario Hezonja to be able to come back after last playing in the league in 2020, six years in Europe since, it shows that if you really work hard on something, you can get back. Trey Lyles is also back in the association after just one year abroad.

He isn’t the first player to come to Cleveland during a return. Anthony Parker spent six years playing in Israel after a poor initial NBA stint. He wound up playing three seasons with the Cavs during the comeback. PJ Tucker was gone for five years. Guerschon Yabusele missed five years. Sergio Rodriguez was out after one season, then came back, too.

For Hezonja to try and stick now, he needs to stay true to his game, but continue adapting. Players leaving the NBA to go abroad usually have a bit less of a hard time than the flip. More shine abroad than in the association. He’s built now, and has the support of his coach and teammates. They are a team happy to have him around.

At the end of the 2025-26 NBA campaign, most probably were not thinking about Hezonja. But as soon as his name publicly surfaced, some excitement started to bubble with Cleveland fans. And now, on a one-year deal, he appears ready to make it happen.

Can Hezonja Stick This Time Around?

Guerschon Yabusele’s second-tenure didn’t work out as well as hoped, as he’s back abroad after two seasons. Sergio Rodriguez also only made it one year. Really, it’s to each their own. There is no recipe. Not everybody is going to do what PJ Tucker did and grind more than a decade after getting back. A spot in the most talented league in the world cannot be taken for granted.

Mario Hezonja is very self-aware of what didn’t work the first time. He is going to play a key bench role on his contending Cavaliers. They knew what he could do when they reached out and got him to come stateside. He’s played the game all over the world and just wants to get on the court and win, now.

There is absolutely a blueprint for Hezonja specifically that can work. Especially with Nae’Qwan Tomlin sidelined to open the year, he will have minutes every night. He just needs to stay confident and play his game.

The man was a EuroLeague MVP two years ago, and now it’s time to do it in the association. His jerseys have been purchased already, and that #33 will be worn by fans all over the world.

One more sleep. And Hezonja’s NBA return will happen 2,242 days after his last game in the league.