The capital's Kyiv-Basket has officially announced the signing of 30-year-old American center Eddie Hunt. This was reported by Sport RBC.UA, citing the club's official Instagram page. Signing a player with experience in the Ukrainian SuperLiga is a notable roster upgrade for the team ahead of the new season and confirms the capital club's strategy of combining proven foreign players with local talent.
Contract and Background of the Transfer
Eddie Hunt is already well known to Ukrainian fans: in the 2024/25 season he played for Kryvyi Rih's Kryvbas, appearing in 14 matches. After leaving Ukraine in February, the American moved to Australia, and finished the previous season with the Estonian club Reinär of the First League. Thus, before signing with Kyiv-Basket, the center had already switched between several leagues and clubs, which is typical for players of his profile who work actively on the international market.
Statistics in Ukraine and Europe
With Kryvbas, Hunt averaged 9.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. With Estonia's Reinär, his numbers were 7.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists, indicating his role as a key player in the paint and on the boards. Over his career, the American foreign player has also competed in the championships of Argentina, Georgia, Italy, Portugal and Mexico, making him one of the most experienced players on the current Kyiv-Basket roster in terms of international game experience.
Kyiv-Basket's Off-Season Reinforcements
Hunt has become the second foreign newcomer for the capital club in the off-season. Earlier, Kyiv-Basket announced the signing of American guard Cam Clardy. In addition to the foreign players, the club signed several Ukrainian players — Ilya Kabachura, Andrii Butko, Nazar Kholod, Danylo Pyrogov, Danylo Markov and Myrlian Ryzhyi. This set of transfers allows the club to build a competitive roster that is balanced in age and experience, combining seasoned foreigners with young domestic players.
Context: Growing Interest in Ukrainian Basketball
Kyiv-Basket's transfer news comes against the backdrop of a general rise in interest in Ukrainian basketball: it was previously reported that the Ukrainian national team made a leap in the FIBA ranking after high-profile wins in the 2027 World Cup qualifiers. The strengthening of the league's leading clubs, including the capital's Kyiv-Basket, fits logically into this trend and creates the prerequisites for raising the level of competition in the national championship in the upcoming season.
