The NBA tips off on Tuesday, and the league is coming off its most exciting season for Jewish stars in quite some time, including the first NBA game to feature three players with Israeli citizenship back in March.
Here are the Jewish and Israeli players to watch this season: Deni Avdija, the Portland Trail Blazers forward, is fresh off his first career All-Star selection, which made him the first Israeli in NBA history to earn the honor. The 25-year-old Beit Zera native set career highs in points (24.2) and assists (6.7) per game and should continue his ascension as Portland’s offensive leader this season.
Brooklyn's Jewish duo
Danny Wolf, the Brooklyn Nets power forward, is entering his second year in the league after a rookie season in which he averaged 8.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. The 22-year-old appeared in 57 games (15 starts) while initially bouncing between the Nets and their G League affiliate. Wolf is an Illinois native who secured Israeli citizenship to play for Team Israel in international competitions. He also attended Jewish day school until fifth grade, keeps kosher, and had his bar mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
Ben Saraf, a shooting guard, joins Wolf in his second season with the Nets. The Israeli native averaged 7.5 points and 3.3 assists per game across 44 contests (11 starts) last year. The 20-year-old, who is 6-foot-6, is the son of two former Israeli pro basketball players, and he wears No. 77 because it represents the Hebrew word “mazal,” which means luck.
Domantas Sabonis, a three-time All-Star and center for the Sacramento Kings, reportedly began the process of converting to Judaism in 2023. Sabonis and his wife, Shashana, who is Jewish, had a Jewish wedding, and the couple celebrates Shabbat and keeps kosher at home. Sabonis played only 19 games last year while dealing with a knee injury, but has a career average of 16.1 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.
One other player to keep an eye on: Noam Yaacov, an Israeli-Danish point guard who signed a training camp contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Yaacov, who has played professionally in Israel and Europe, was ruled ineligible for the NCAA, but is eyeing a spot with the Cavs or their G League affiliate.