Basketball

Israel's Yarden Garzon: ‘I’ll make it to the WNBA, I’m sure!’

After starring in high school and local youth leagues in Israel, women's basketball player Yarden Garzon was recruited by colleges in the United States and chose to attend Indiana.

|ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
Israeli guard Yarden Garzon is set to begin the next chapter of her career in Spain after starring for four seasons in the NCAA and pursuing her dream of reaching the WNBA.
ISRAEL UNDER-20 men’s captain Rani Belaga is determined to lead the blue-and-white as they pursue the European Championship title in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Captain Belaga focused on leading Israel’s basketball U20s at Euros - interview

Alongside Belaga, the U20 team features other talented players, such as Oren Sahar and Yaron Goldman.

|ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
THE ISRAEL under-20 women's national team poses following a second-place finish at the FIBA European Championship after falling to France in the final.

Celebrating silver: Blue-and-white U20 women finish as European runner-up

Ayala Oren helped cut the gap, but France center Sarah Cisse dominated the paint during that stretch to give her side a 44-31 advantage at halftime.

|ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
Hapoel Jerusalem's new coach Sasa Obradovic eing introduced with the Hapoel Jerusalem owners, July 10, 2026.

Sasa Obradovic takes the reins in Hapoel Jerusalem’s quest for glory as new head coach

Throughout his coaching career, Obradovic has won numerous titles, including two French championships, the French Cup, the German championship, four German Cups and a Russian Cup.

|ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN

Victories overshadowed: War halts Israeli hoops momentum

Hapoel Tel Aviv finally snapped its five-game losing streak, while Maccabi Tel Aviv recorded an important win that will keep it in the postseason race as their respective campaigns head into March.

MARCH 2, 2026ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
ELIJAH BRYANT and Hapoel Tel Aviv snapped their Euroleague losing streak against Milano just before the war with Iran broke out.

From player to mentor: Cory Carr helps power Maccabi Tel Aviv’s championship culture - interview

Since retiring from the NBA close to 10 years ago, Cory Carr has been plying his trade as a coach with a number of clubs in the Holy Land, but also working with players on an individual basis.

FEBRUARY 27, 2026ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
CORY CARR’S behind-the-scenes player development work has played a pivotal role in Maccabi Tel Aviv’s success this season.

Physicists pinpoint mechanism behind familiar basketball shoes squeak

Analysis showed that tiny regions of the rubber momentarily detach and reattach to the surface thousands of times per second

FEBRUARY 26, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
A woman sleeping with her shoes on

Tel Aviv teams keep winning while Jerusalem, Beersheba clubs triumph

Maccabi Tel Aviv cruised past Ironi Ness Ziona 111-80, Hapoel Tel Aviv got by Hapoel Holon 89-83, Hapoel Jerusalem downed Maccabi Ramat Gan 97-87, and Hapoel Beersheba crushed Maccabi Ra’anana.

FEBRUARY 24, 2026ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
AFTER A lengthy injury absence, Lonnie Walker found his form right away in his return for Maccabi Tel Aviv, scoring 18 points in the yellow-and-blue 111-80 league win over Ironi Ness Ziona.

Avdija leaves Blazers’ victory over Suns just one minute in with back injury

During Portland’s second offensive possession, Avdija felt discomfort while backing down his defender in the post. Almost immediately, he signaled that something wasn’t right.

FEBRUARY 24, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST SPORTS STAFF
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS Israeli forward Deni Avdija heads to the locker room after suffering an injury against the Phoenix Suns early in the first half on Sunday night.

Maccabi Tel Aviv overwhelms Herzliya for State Cup crown

Maccabi Tel Aviv wins the 47th Israel State Cup with a dominant 109-90 victory over Bnei Herzliya, thanks to key performances from Sorkin, Hoard, and Blatt.

FEBRUARY 22, 2026ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
Maccabi Tel Aviv players celebrate after beating Bnei Herzliya 109-90 in the State Cup final at Yad Eliyahu.

Gur Lavy seizes his chance, becomes Maccabi Tel Aviv’s latest success story

After last year’s MVP performance, Maccabi Tel Aviv pounced on the Bat Shlomo native and added the young Sabra to its cadre.

FEBRUARY 20, 2026ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
IN HIS first year with Maccabi Tel Aviv, 24-year-old Sabra Gur Lavy continues to turn patience into prime-time performances for the yellow-and-blue, especially in recent victories.

Maccabi Tel Aviv rallies, downs Jerusalem in State Cup semis

With a 94-85 win, Maccabi Tel Aviv advanced to the State Cup final, which will take place on Thursday night. The yellow-and-blue will meet the winner of the Bnei Herzliya and Hapoel HaEmek clash.

FEBRUARY 17, 2026ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
Maccabi Tel Aviv players celebrating.

Spike Lee, Kyrie Irving wear pro-Palestinian outfits to NBA All-Star Game featuring Israeli player

Lee wore a keffiyeh-patterned sweater and flag badges while Irving wore a Wear the Peace "PRESS" shirt, which was "dedicated to our beloved journalists in Gaza, showing the world the truth."

FEBRUARY 16, 2026ByPHILISSA CRAMER/JTA
Feb 15, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Spike Lee and John Tesh watch during the 75th NBA All Star Game at Intuit Dome.

'I heard great things': LeBron James faces backlash after praising Deni Avdija, Israel

The Los Angeles Lakers forward said he heard "nothing but great things" about Israel while discussing Avdija, the first Israeli to feature in the NBA All-Star Game.

FEBRUARY 16, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Portland, Oregon, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) drives to the basket during the second half against Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija (8) at Moda Center, Feb 20, 2025.