Paul Delaney III turned 23 years old on Aug. 30, but his birthday gift came seven days earlier.

On Aug. 23, the Decatur native and former Chamblee High School basketball star signed his first professional basketball contract.

Delaney, who played college basketball at the University of Alabama-Birmingham from 2004-2009, signed a one-year contract with Israeli basketball team Hapoel Holon, an Israel Basketball League team based in Holon, on the central coastal strip south of Tel Aviv, Israel’s capital.

He said he was excited about playing professional basketball.

“It feels great,” said Delaney, who boarded a 12-hour international flight to Israel on Aug. 31. “My ultimate dream is to make it to the NBA, but this is one step towards that. So, I’m just taking it one step at a time.”

The athletic, 6-foot-2, 200-pound point guard will be playing with a team that competes in the Ligat HaAl, the top division of Israeli basketball.

Hapoel Holon won the Israeli Cup last season and the year before captured the Israeli Premier League Regular Season and playoff championships.

Delaney is one of three American players who have signed with club recently.

Known in college for his explosive jumping ability, quick first step and tenacious defense, Delaney has several highlights on YouTube and he said he doesn’t anticipate his style of play changing once league competition begins in October.

“I’m just a basketball player,” Delaney said. “I really can’t describe my game. I can penetrate, I’m athletic, a playmaker, defensive player and a little bit all-around.”

One of the top scorers in UAB history, Delaney’s signing with Hapoel Holon follows a standout college career.

Coming out of Chamblee High School in 2003, Delaney’s production and playing time increased each year until UAB’s 2006-07 season, when he averaged a team-leading 15.5 points and 5.2 assists per game.

During that season, Delaney scored in double figures in all but six of the team’s 31 games, and dished out at least three assists in all but seven. He also had a career-high 32 points hitting 11-of-16 shots in a win over Wyoming and won the Conference USA Player of the Week award twice.

He was also recognized as First-Team All Conference USA.

College basketball analysts and UAB coaches were expecting Delaney to have similar success in 2007-08, which would have been his senior year, until he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Blazers’ fifth game.

The ACL tear in Delaney’s left knee sidelined him for the rest of the season, but gave him a medical redshirt for the year.

During the 2008-09 season, Delaney came back with a vengeance and averaged 16.1 points a contest, along with 2.1 steals 3.5 assists, and shot 56 percent from the field.

He recorded the second triple-double in school history in a win over Tulane, tallying 16 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds and was named to the All-Conference USA Second Team and All-Defensive Team.

Delaney, who majored in history and minored in political science, graduated in December 2008. He said he has no regrets about his college career.

“I feel that I had a good five years,” he said. “I’ve been a crowd favorite and the fans really appreciate me and I really appreciate the fans there.”

Before signing on with his new team, Delaney had a strong chance of signing with an NBA team.

Delaney was named to the All-First Team in April’s Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a tournament in Virginia for NBA prospects, and was a sleeper-pick to be drafted in the NBA’s second round.

In July he played on the Milwaukee Bucks’ NBA Summer League team in Las Vegas.

In five games with the Bucks, Delaney averaged 2.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and one assist per game, while playing behind guards Jodie Meeks and Brandon Jennings.

Despite not signing an NBA contract, Delaney looks positively on his summer league experience.

“I got to play with and against a lot of NBA vets and draft picks,” he said. “And I got a chance to get used to the NBA game and an NBA type setting.”

When his flight landed in Israel, Delaney was greeted by over a dozen Hapoel Holon fans at the airport. The fans lifted him onto their shoulders and even gave him flowers.

“It shouldn’t be too much of a difference as far as fan bases and being known,” he said before leaving the U.S.

Delaney’s mother, Naomi Black, said before her only son left the U.S. his family threw a celebration for him.

“I’m going to miss my baby,” said Black of her second oldest child. “I’m so happy and proud of him.”

The farthest Delaney has ever been from Decatur for an extended period is UAB’s Birmingham campus, but he’s hoping his stint of playing ball thousands of miles away is a one-time thing.

“Next year I see myself signing onto somebody’s roster in the NBA,” he said. “I’m just going to keep playing my game and keep improving in order to reach my goal.”