"They deceived me!" Cirbes' shocking confession: Player relationships weren't what they should have been

Pulse Sports Team 13:48 - 09 August 2026

German basketball player Maik Cirbes, undoubtedly one of the most beloved foreign players to wear the Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet jersey, spoke about the worst period of his career.

Cirbes had three stints with the red-and-white jersey, first leaving Mali Kalemegdan in 2016 to join Maccabi. However, that move didn't pan out as expected.

"I think Maccabi was trying to build something. But we didn't have team chemistry. We had very good players, but it just didn't work together. It's hard to point fingers at the coach who was fired then, that wouldn't be fair. The relationships between the players weren't what they should have been," Maik Cirbes told "Walla Sport."

Cirbes openly admitted to having a bitter taste in his mouth when recalling his time in Tel Aviv.

"My perspective on the season at Maccabi is very negative. The contract affected me; there were things they misled me about and deceived me regarding the contract. I fought for my rights for a long time. Maccabi is a dark chapter in my career," Maik Cirbes stated.

In stark contrast to his Maccabi experience, Cirbes enjoyed the brightest moments of his career with Crvena Zvezda, where he won four ABA League titles, three Serbian championship titles, and one "Radivoj Korać" Cup.