LANGLEY, B.C. , May 11, 2022 – The Fraser Valley Bandits announced Wednesday that the club has signed former 2018-19 ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) Finals most valuable player and decorated American forward Maxie Esho for its upcoming season at Langley Events Centre (LEC).

A native of Upper Marlboro, Md., Esho began his professional career in 2015 after a promising four-year tenure at the University of Massachusetts where he started all 32 games in his final season (2014-15) for the Minutemen, averaging 11.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 0.9 blocks on 50 and 33.3 per cent shooting from field goal and three-point range, respectively.

An impressive NCAA Division I career set the stage for Esho to turn pro and he made his debut for the Iowa Energy (now known as the Iowa Wolves) of the NBA Development League (now known as the G League) in the fall of 2015 where he showcased his versatility over the course of 35 games played for the former affiliate of the Memphis Grizzlies. Esho averaged 15.8 minutes, 5.9 points, and 3.5 rebounds per game in his first professional season.

Esho’s dynamic two-way play was apparent to global scouts and he embarked on the beginning of an overseas career that has garnered accolades in several of the world’s top domestic leagues. Esho caught the eye of then Saigon Heat (Vietnam) head coach and current Bandits general manager Kyle Julius, who coached Esho during the 2017-18 season in the ABL.

“Maxie is a special player and an even better person. I had the great fortune of coaching him for a season in Asia and we had a lot of success together. I also had the great misfortune of coaching against Maxie for a season and he continuously torched us on his way to league MVP and a championship in 2019,” Julius said.

During his ABL championship season with the CLS Knights (Indonesia) in 2018-19, Esho averaged 22.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.8 steals per game on 51.4 and 41.8 per cent shooting from two-point and three-point range, respectively.

In a climactic game five that clinched the 2019 championship over the Singapore Slingers to help the Knights earn its first ABL title, Esho poured in 25 points and eight rebounds.

“Joining the Fraser Valley Bandits is an awesome opportunity to grow as a player and to work alongside a group of teammates that share a common goal. I am excited to be on the west coast and to be part of a culture and group that is dedicated on the court and that will fight for every possession,” Esho said.

The journeyman forward recently played for Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia during the 2021-22 season, averaging 21.6 points, 14.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game over the course of 13 games.

Esho’s career also features stops in Colombia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Israel, Republic of Kosovo, Taiwan and Uruguay.

Fraser Valley opens its fourth Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season on the road on Wednesday, May 25 at 4:30 p.m. PT against the Ottawa BlackJacks. Following a three-game road swing to start the year, the Bandits will return to LEC for their home opener against the Rattlers on Saturday, June 4.

Full and partial season ticket packages, as well as group and single game tickets are available for purchase at thebandits.ca/tickets . Fans are kindly asked to call (604) 866-0529 or email [email protected] for any questions or ticket related inquiries.

Fans can also fill out this form to register their interest for tickets and to arrange to be contacted directly by a team representative.

All CEBL regular season games will be livestreamed on the free CBC Gem streaming service, cbcsports.ca , the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices and CEBL+ .

Head to thebandits.ca for more information or follow us on Instagram , Twitter , TikTok , LinkedIn , Facebook and YouTube .

About the Fraser Valley Bandits:

The Fraser Valley Bandits are British Columbia’s professional basketball team. As the westernmost club in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), the Bandits offer an entertainment experience that combines a fast-paced game day atmosphere with a presentation of some of Canada’s top professional athletes within a world-class venue at Langley Events Centre (LEC). A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 75 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL season runs from May through August.