By Amy Samin
Maciej Lampe (24, 2.11 meters), who plays both the forward and center positions, has signed a one-year with option contract with Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv.
Lampe is a former NBA player who has played for the last three years with the Russian team Khimki Moscow.
He is known for his strong moves in the paint and his soft shooting touch from outside.
Lampe, who was born in Łódź, Poland, grew up in Stockholm, Sweden.
At age 14 he was discovered as a young talent by a scout from Real Madrid and signed for a long-term contract.
Before the age of 17 he had played for Real Madrid in the Euroleague, and shortly thereafter he was loaned out to Universidad Complutense of the second division level in Spain, in order to gain more experience and playing time.
Lampe was a standout with Complutense, averaging 19.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
In the summer of 2003 Lampe was chosen as the 30th pick in the NBA draft by the New York Knicks.
He was traded to the Phoenix Suns the following year, where he became the youngest Suns player to appear in a regular season game.
In January 2005 Lampe was traded to New Orleans, then the following year to Houston.
His total NBA career average over 64 games was 3.4 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.
In 2006, Lampe signed with the Russian team Dynamo Saint Petersburg, which went bankrupt shortly thereafter.
Lampe then inked a contract with Khimki Moscow.
In February 2008 he led Khimki to victory in the Russian championships over Euroleague powerhouse CSKA Moscow, and was selected game MVP.
In the last two years, Lampe and Khimki reached the playoff finals in Russia, only to be defeated by CSKA.
Last year, he also played in the finals of the Eurocup (the competition formerly known as ULEB Cup).
His averages for the last season in Russia were 10.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
His European experience includes 7 Euroleague games with Real Madrid and 3 full seasons in the ULEB with Khimki Moscow.
Lampe, who speaks five languages, is a member of the national team in Poland, which will host the European championships this summer.
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