Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball Club (), known for sponsorship reasons as Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (), is a professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
club based in
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
,
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
. The team plays in the
Ligat HaAl (the top tier of Israeli basketball), and internationally in the
EuroLeague
The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...
. Maccabi Tel Aviv is known as one of the best teams in Europe, having won 6 Euroleague titles since joining, and having sent numerous players to the NBA draft.
The club was established in the mid-1930s, as part of the
Maccabi Tel Aviv Sports Club, which had been founded in 1906.
With six EuroLeague championships (including the
2001 FIBA SuproLeague), one
Adriatic League
The ABA League, renamed the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the top-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, ...
championship, 57 Israeli Basketball Premier League championships, 45
Israeli State Cup titles, and 11
Israeli League Cup titles, Maccabi has been the most successful basketball team in Israel, and is also one of the most successful basketball teams outside of North America. Players such as
Tal Brody,
Miki Berkovich,
Jim Boatwright,
Kevin Magee,
Earl Williams, and
Aulcie Perry; and more recently
Derrick Sharp,
Šarūnas Jasikevičius,
Tal Burstein,
Anthony Parker and
Nikola Vujčić
Nikola Vujčić (born 14 June 1978) is a Croatian former professional basketball player, and the current general manager (basketball), team manager of the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C., Maccabi Tel Aviv. During his playing career, he played ...
, have been among the elite of Europe's basketball players.
History
The
Israeli Basketball Super League started in 1954, and Maccabi Tel Aviv was the first champion. It has dominated the championship ever since, winning the title overal 57 times, including 23 consecutive titles (1970 and 1992). The team has also won the
Israeli Basketball State Cup overall 45 times. Maccabi is considered Israel's national sporting representative in the world.
From 1969 until 2008, Maccabi Tel Aviv was sponsored by
Elite
In political and sociological theory, the elite (, from , to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful or wealthy people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. Defined by the ...
, Israel's largest food company, and carried its name. Since July 2008, Maccabi has had a new sponsor –
Electra
Electra, also spelt Elektra (; ; ), is one of the most popular Greek mythology, mythological characters in tragedies.Evans (1970), p. 79 She is the main character in two Greek tragedies, ''Electra (Sophocles play), Electra'' by Sophocles and ''Ele ...
. In 2015 they switched their sponsor once again, this time to fashion chain
FOX.
Since 1963, the club's home court has been the Yad Eliyahu Arena in Tel Aviv (later renamed "
Menora Mivtachim Arena"). Originally an open-air court for 5,000 spectators, it is now a modern indoor arena with a capacity of 10,383.
Most Maccabi Tel Aviv
head coaches
A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...
have been former players of the club.
Yehoshua Rozin was involved with the club for 40 years.
Ralph Klein
Ralph Philip Klein (November 1, 1942 – March 29, 2013) was a Canadian politician and journalist who served as the 12th premier of Alberta and leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta from 1992 until his retirement in 2 ...
started as an 18-year-old player and later had several spells as a coach, and led the club to its first
EuroLeague
The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...
title in the
1977–78 season.
Zvi Sherf played for Maccabi's second team, and coached the team for three spells.
Pini Gershon played in the Youth department and as a coach led Maccabi to three EuroLeague titles; in 2001, 2004, and 2005.
Maccabi Tel Aviv has always provided the senior
Israel national basketball team
The Israel men's national basketball team () represents Israel in international basketball tournaments. They are administered by the Israeli Basketball Association. Israel is currently ranked 39th in the FIBA Men's World Ranking, FIBA World Ran ...
with a large number of players. Five Maccabi players, headed by
Avraham Shneur, were on the team that represented Israel in its first
EuroBasket
EuroBasket, also commonly referred to as the European Basketball Championship, is the main international basketball competition that is contested quadrennially, by the senior men's national teams that are governed by FIBA Europe, which is the E ...
, in
1953 in Moscow.
Tanhum Cohen-Mintz
Tanhum Cohen-Mintz (; also "Tanchum or Tani" and "Cohen-Minz"; October 18, 1939 – October 11, 2014) was an Israeli professional basketball player. He was 6'8 " (2.04 m ) tall, and he played at the center (basketball), center position.
Early li ...
was one of Europe's top
centers in the sixties, and was selected to the first
FIBA European Selection European All-Star Team, which played in Madrid in 1964.
Miki Berkowitz,
Motty Aroesti,
Lou Silver, and
Eric Minkin played a major part in winning the silver medal at the
1979 EuroBasket in Torino.
Doron Jamchy played 16 years for the Israel national team, and holds the record for appearances (191 international games) and points scored (3,515).
Maccabi Tel Aviv was the first Israeli club to enter the
FIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague), in
the 1958 season. Since then, it has played over 600 games in European-wide competitions, and was the only Israeli club to play in a
FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup
The FIBA Saporta Cup, founded as ''FIBA European Cup Winners Cup'', was the name of the European professional club basketball system, second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winn ...
(FIBA Saporta Cup)
Final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
(
1967 Cup Winners' Cup), and to win the
European-wide top-tier level EuroLeague on six occasions (1977, 1981, *
2001 FIBA SuproLeague, 2004, 2005, and 2014). Maccabi has played in 15
EuroLeague Finals
The EuroLeague Finals are the championship finals of the EuroLeague competition. The EuroLeague is European professional club basketball pyramid, the highest level tier, and most important professional sports, professional sports club, club bask ...
(1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2000, *2001 FIBA SuproLeague, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011, and 2014). In
1994 Tel Aviv, and in
2004 in Tel Aviv, Maccabi organized the
EuroLeague Final Four
The EuroLeague Final Four is the final four format championship of the European-wide top-tier level EuroLeague professional club basketball competition. The Euroleague Basketball Company used the final four format for the first time in 2002, fo ...
.
The first basketball game between an
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
and a FIBA team was held in 1978, in Tel Aviv. Maccabi Tel Aviv beat the defending NBA champion
Washington Bullets
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...
, 98–97.
Maccabi Tel Aviv has played a record 18 times vs. NBA teams, and became the first European team to win on an NBA floor, when it beat the
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...
, 105–103, in 2005. It also beat the
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...
and
Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), ...
in 1984, to win a tournament in Tel Aviv.
Through the decades
1950s
5
Israeli League championships, 3
Israeli Cups.
Early success in the Israeli League. Rivalry with
Hapoel Tel Aviv begins.
1960s

5
Israeli League championships, 5
Israeli Cups.
Establishment as an elite club with
FIBA European All-Stars, such as
center Tanhum Cohen-Mintz
Tanhum Cohen-Mintz (; also "Tanchum or Tani" and "Cohen-Minz"; October 18, 1939 – October 11, 2014) was an Israeli professional basketball player. He was 6'8 " (2.04 m ) tall, and he played at the center (basketball), center position.
Early li ...
. Fierce rivalry with home-town foes, Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Tal Brody came to Israel in 1966 from the United States, after having been drafted #12 in the
1965 National Basketball Association Draft, originally just to take one year out of his life to play for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Ralph Klein
Ralph Philip Klein (November 1, 1942 – March 29, 2013) was a Canadian politician and journalist who served as the 12th premier of Alberta and leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta from 1992 until his retirement in 2 ...
, Israel's most successful coach at the time, said that up until the enthusiastic Brody's arrival, Israelis had only viewed basketball as a fun game.
But within a year, with his serious attitude and his inspirational commitment, Brody had inculcated his teammates with his view of basketball as a way of life.
At his urging, the team doubled the number of practices it held every week.
To capitalize on Brody's quickness and speed, the coach abandoned the team's formerly slow pace, in favor of a fast-paced motion game, built around
fast break
Fast break is an offensive strategy in basketball and handball. In a fast break, a team attempts to move the ball up court and into scoring position as quickly as possible, so that the defense is outnumbered and does not have time to set up. The ...
s.
Brody was the most dominant player in the
European-wide second tier level FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup
The FIBA Saporta Cup, founded as ''FIBA European Cup Winners Cup'', was the name of the European professional club basketball system, second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winn ...
(FIBA Saporta Cup) in the
1966–67 season. In 1967, he was named Israel's Sportsman of the Year.
The team made it through the first, second, and third rounds of the European Cup Winners' Cup's (Saporta Cup) playoffs, and reached the
Finals
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
, finishing second in the league.
For the first time, the Israeli
Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
(
Levi Eshkol
Levi Eshkol ( ; 25 October 1895 – 26 February 1969), born Levi Yitzhak Shkolnik (), was the prime minister of Israel from 1963 until his death from a heart attack in 1969. A founder of the Israeli Labor Party, he served in numerous seni ...
), the
Israeli Defense Forces
Israeli may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel
* Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel
* Modern Hebrew, a language
* ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008
* Guni Israeli (b ...
Chief of Staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...
, and
Knesset
The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel.
The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...
members came to games. Demand for tickets to games in the team's 5,000-seat stadium was so high that they became exceedingly difficult to obtain.
1970s
1
FIBA European Champions Cup (
EuroLeague
The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...
), 10
Israeli League championships, 8
Israeli Cups.
The rise to the top in Europe. The first EuroLeague championship in 1977 was soon followed by another finals appearance in 1980.
Tal Brody was the
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
of that Maccabi Tel Aviv team.
1977 FIBA European Champions Cup: "We are on the map!"

The year 1977 was the apex of the
Cold War
The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
, and the Soviet Union was boycotting Israel.
In the first round of the
FIBA European Champions Cup (
EuroLeague
The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...
) Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
, 94–85. In the second round, it beat
BC Brno
Basketball Club Brno (), for sponsorship reasons Brno Next Generation, is a Czech professional basketball club based in the city of Brno. The team plays in the Czech National Basketball League – the highest competition in the Czech Republic.
H ...
,
Czechoslovakian League, for the first time, 91–76, on 15 February 1977.
In the FIBA European Champions Cup semifinals, Maccabi Tel Aviv was matched against
CSKA Moscow
CSKA Moscow () is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was the central part of the Armed Forces (sports ...
– the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
team.
CSKA Moscow was a powerhouse. The
Soviet Army
The Soviet Ground Forces () was the land warfare service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1946 to 1992. It was preceded by the Red Army.
After the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, the Ground Forces remained under th ...
team had won the prior
USSR League championship.
Six of its players had played on the
Soviet national team that had defeated the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
in the
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...
, and their captain was
Sergei Belov
Sergei Alexandrovich Belov (; 23 January 1944 – 3 October 2013) was a Russian professional basketball player, most noted for playing for PBC CSKA Moscow, CSKA Moscow and the senior Soviet Union national basketball team. He is considered to be on ...
.
And the
Communist
Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
s were well known for using sports to glorify what they billed as their supremacy over the West.
The Soviet Union had broken off diplomatic relations with Israel a decade earlier, and politically and militarily backed Israel's Arab enemies. For political reasons, therefore, CSKA Moscow refused to play in Tel Aviv. And the Soviets also refused to grant visas to the Israelis, to allow them to come play in Moscow.
In the end, Maccabi Tel Aviv's "home game" was played in the small, neutral town of
Virton
Virton (; Gaumais: ''Viertån''; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg, Belgium. It is also the administrative centre of the district (''arrondissement'') of the same name, as well as the principal town ...
, Belgium.

The game took place in an emotional atmosphere. It was of huge symbolic value for Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, and for many Israelis who ordinarily had no interest in basketball.
The game pitted the capitalist West against the Communist East, and Israel against the country that was supplying its enemies with weapons.
The game also matched the country of Israel, with a total of a mere 4 million inhabitants, against the Soviets, with their 290 million people.
The newspaper ''
Maariv
''Maariv'' or ''Maʿariv'' (, ), also known as ''Arvit'', or ''Arbit'' (, ), is a Jewish prayer service held in the evening or at night. It consists primarily of the evening '' Shema'' and ''Amidah''.
The service will often begin with two ...
'' billed the 17 February 1977, game as "the fight between
David and Goliath."
Most of Israel's population watched the game, which was broadcast on Israel's only TV channel at the time.
Maccabi Tel Aviv upset the heavily favored Soviets, 91–79.
The feeling among Israelis was not only that CSKA Moscow had been defeated, but that a victory – albeit small – had been achieved against the mighty Soviet Union.
The game has for decades been recognized as a key event in the forging of Israel's national identity. Even decades later, it was being replayed repeatedly on Israeli television.

"''We are on the map!''" proclaimed a euphoric
Tal Brody, in his heavily American-accented
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
, as a TV announcer pushed a microphone in front of him for a post-game quote, while people danced the
hora around, him in excitement and celebration. "''And we are staying on the map – not only in sports, but in everything.''"
The phrase "We are on the map!" ("''anachnu al hamapa, ve'anahnu nisharim al hamapa!''"), a literal translation of an English phrase into his adopted language, but a novel saying in Hebrew, became a new, popular phrase in Israel.
It reflected a physical victory by the nascent Jewish
Zionist
Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...
idea, and national pride.
It became Israel's most famous quote,
and a staple of Israeli speech.
Back home, hundreds of thousands of Israelis celebrated spontaneously in the streets, and 150,000 in Tel Aviv congregated in celebration in what is now
Rabin Square. Many jumped into its fountain, splashing in water and champagne.
Recalling the moment, an Israeli quoted in the book ''
From Beirut to Jerusalem'' told author
Thomas Friedman
Thomas Loren Friedman ( ; born July 20, 1953) is an American political commentator and author. He is a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner who is a weekly columnist for ''The New York Times''. He has written extensively on foreign affairs, global ...
that on one level it was Brody the star basketball player and his teammates beating the Russians, but on another level it was "my grandfather beating them. It was our retroactive victory over the
Cossacks
The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic languages, East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borde ...
."
The FIBA European Champions Cup Finals were played in
Belgrade
Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
,
Yugoslavia
, common_name = Yugoslavia
, life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation
, p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia
, flag_p ...
, on 7 April 1977.
Yugoslavia was a Non-Aligned country that supported Palestine, and with which Israel did not have diplomatic relations, and the
El Al
EL AL Israel Airlines Ltd. (), trading as EL AL (, "Upwards", "To the Skies", or "Skywards", stylized as ELAL; ) is the flag carrier of Israel. Since its inaugural flight from Geneva to Tel Aviv in September 1948, the airline has grown to serve ...
plane that brought the Maccabi Tel Aviv players over to it for the game, was the first Israeli plane ever allowed to land there.
The Israelis were pitted against the highly favored
Mobilgirgi Varese, the champions of Italy's
top league
Japan Rugby League One (), formerly known as the Top League (), is a rugby union competition in Japan. It is the highest level of professional rugby competition in the country. The Japan Rugby Football Union created the competition in 2003, by ...
.
Mobilgirgi Varese had beaten the Israelis twice that year, and had beaten them in the
European-wide second-tier level FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup
The FIBA Saporta Cup, founded as ''FIBA European Cup Winners Cup'', was the name of the European professional club basketball system, second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winn ...
(
FIBA Saporta Cup
The FIBA Saporta Cup, founded as ''FIBA European Cup Winners Cup'', was the name of the second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winners, from all over Europe, played against eac ...
)
Finals
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
, ten years earlier, when Brody first started playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Back in Israel, the entire country watched the game on television.
Maccabi Tel Aviv went on to defeat Mobilgirgi Varese by one point, 78–77, in the
FIBA European Champions Cup Finals.
Brody, as the team's captain, received the FIBA European Cup trophy from
FIBA
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French language, French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the Basketball equipment ...
's Secretary General, and lifted it over his head.
Jim Boatwright was
the game's leading scorer, with 26 points.
It was Israel's first FIBA European Champions Cup title, in the 23-nation league.
It was also the first time that Israel had won a championship of that caliber in any sport, and was, at the time, Israel's greatest achievement in international sports.
The victory greatly lifted the spirit and morale of the country.
In Israel, 200,000 people gathered to celebrate in Israel's National Park, and the event was celebrated as a national holiday. When the team returned home, it found 150,000 Israelis waiting for it.
1980s
1
FIBA European Champions Cup (
EuroLeague
The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...
), 1
FIBA Intercontinental Cup
The FIBA Intercontinental Cup, previously known to as the FIBA World Cup for Champion Clubs and the FIBA Club World Cup, is an annual international men's basketball competition organised by FIBA, the sport's global governing body. The competit ...
, 10
Israeli League championships, 8
Israeli Cups.
A golden era of the Maccabi Tel Aviv ball club. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Maccabi dominated the
Israeli Basketball Super League, winning all 20 league championships consecutively. Winning the
FIBA European Champions Cup (
EuroLeague
The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...
) title in 1981, and reaching the
FIBA European Champions Cup Finals
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
for four more times, in 1982, 1987, 1988, and 1989.
Miki Berkovich 1971–75, and 1976–88,
Motti Aroesti 1974–88,
Doron Jamchi 1985–96 and 1999–2000,
Kevin Magee 1984–90,
Lou Silver 1975–85,
Ken Barlow 1987–90,
Aulcie Perry 1976–85, and
LaVon Mercer 1988–95 were the superstars of that Maccabi run.
1981 FIBA European Champions Cup championship
Maccabi Tel Aviv beat
Sinudyne Bologna, 80–79, in the
Finals game, in
Strasbourg
Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...
, under head coach
Rudy D'Amico. It was proof that Maccabi was at the top of European professional
club basketball for good.
1990s

9
Israeli League championships, 5
Israeli Cups.
For Maccabi Tel Aviv there was no European-wide title in the decade, and the team had struggles in European competitions. However, the club was still considered to be one of the European powerhouses of that era, as the club then featured European All-Stars such as
Doron Jamchy and
Oded Kattash, as well
LaVon Mercer. With the exception of 1993, Maccabi absolutely dominated the Israel League, winning every championship.
2000s
3
EuroLeague
The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...
championships, 9
Israeli League championships, 7
Israeli Cups, 1
Israeli League Cup.
The "second golden era" of Maccabi Tel Aviv, making it the second most successful European basketball club of that decade. Maccabi made it to the
FIBA EuroLeague's
title game in 2000, which marked the start of Maccabi's second "golden era", the most successful of the club to date. During this decade, the club won three EuroLeague championships, in
2001
The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
(
FIBA SuproLeague
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the equipment and facilities required, o ...
),
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
, and
2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
respectively. They also reached the European title game on two more occasions, in
2006
2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Events
January
* January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.
* January 12 – A stampede during t ...
and
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
.
Ariel McDonald 1999–2002,
Anthony Parker 2000–02 and 2003–06,
Nate Huffman 1999–2002,
Šarūnas Jasikevičius 2003–05,
Maceo Baston 2003–06,
Derrick Sharp 1996–2011,
Nikola Vujčić
Nikola Vujčić (born 14 June 1978) is a Croatian former professional basketball player, and the current general manager (basketball), team manager of the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C., Maccabi Tel Aviv. During his playing career, he played ...
2002–08, and
Tal Burstein 2000–09 and 2010–12 were the top players of Maccabi during this era.
2001 FIBA SuproLeague championship

The return to European glory for the club. This was the only year in European-wide professional club basketball history, with two recognized
top-tier level European-wide champions, from two different organizations. Maccabi Tel Aviv was recognized as the winner of the traditional
FIBA
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French language, French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the Basketball equipment ...
tournament, which had been renamed from the FIBA EuroLeague, to the
FIBA SuproLeague
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the equipment and facilities required, o ...
; and
Kinder Bologna, which was recognized as the champions of the newly established
EuroLeague
The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...
, which was organized by
EuroLeague Basketball
Euroleague Basketball, run by Euroleague Commercial Assets (ECA), is a private company that runs and operates men's professional basketball club competitions in Europe, the first-tier level EuroLeague, and the second-tier level EuroCup. It has ...
.
2004 and 2005, back-to-back EuroLeague championships
Maccabi Tel Aviv fans did not have to wait too much for another big title, as it all clicked in the 2003–04 season.
Sharp's miracle three-pointer to survive the EuroLeague Top 16 that year has become one of the classic shots in European basketball history, and is unforgettable for any Maccabi fan. Once in the
2004 EuroLeague Final Four, Maccabi turned in a record breaking performance, with an outstanding 118-point title game performance. Maccabi won back-to-back EuroLeague titles
in 2005, becoming the first team to do so since 1991. The players Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Anthony Parker, Tal Burstein, Maceo Baston, and Nikola Vujčić, coached by
Pini Gershon, became a classic lineup in European basketball history. This team of 2003–04 and 2004–05 is generally considered one of the best basketball teams in European club history, and certainly one of the most fun to watch ever in basketball history. After starting
point guard
The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game.
A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...
"Saras" Jasikevičius left the team, to fulfill his lifelong dream and play in the NBA, Maccabi
went back to the EuroLeague Final, in the 2005–06 season, but CSKA Moscow stood in the way of a three-peat. Anthony Parker and Maceo Baston left after that year, and returned home, signing multi-million dollar contracts with NBA teams. Center Nikola Vujčić stayed with Maccabi for two more years, playing in
one more final, in the 2007–08 season, before leaving the team, and signing a multi-million dollar deal with
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...
. Israeli Super League legends Derrick Sharp and Tal Burstein, remained with Maccabi, and continued to play for the team until 2011 and 2012, respectively. Maccabi also dominated the Israel League, winning every tournament from 1993 to 2007, and winning multiple Cup tournaments.
2010s

1
EuroLeague
The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...
Championship, 5
Israeli League championships, 8
Israeli Cups, 6
Israeli League Cups, 1
Adriatic League
The ABA League, renamed the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the top-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, ...
championship.
For the 2010–11 season, management brought back head coach
David Blatt, and added new premier players. Maccabi Tel Aviv reeled off nine consecutive wins to finish the EuroLeague regular season. Highlights included
David Blu's game-winning triple against
Khmki,
Sofoklis Schortsanitis's dominance inside, and the defense of steals leaders
Chuck Eidson and
Doron Perkins. The momentum ended with a road loss at
Regal FC Barcelona, at the start of the EuroLeague Top 16, but Maccabi surged again with three straight wins to reach the EuroLeague playoffs. Barca handed Maccabi another loss, this time in Tel Aviv – the only home defeat of the season – and ended Blatt's hopes for home-court advantage, in the next stage against
Caja Laboral.
Maccabi Tel Aviv prevailed in the EuroLeague playoff series, as the injured Perkins' replacement in the starting lineup,
Guy Pnini, set a single-game-career-high in scoring, along the way, and the team moved on to the
2011 Final Four.
Jeremy Pargo finished with the best
performance index rating, and the second-most points per game, among all playoffs participants. He also ranked among the top five players in three-pointers made, assists, and steals. Backup center
Richard Hendrix was named
MVP of the first round of the EuroLeague Playoffs, and finished as the overall playoff leader in rebounds and blocks. Maccabi Tel Aviv beat Real Madrid in the EuroLeague semifinals, 82–63, advancing to the
EuroLeague Final game. On 8 May 2011, Maccabi lost the final game, 70–78, to
Panathinaikos. With the exception of 2008 and 2010, Maccabi, up to 2011, also won every Israeli League from 1993.
Maccabi announced that it would join the Adriatic League for the
2011–12 season, joining the league for the second time, as it had also joined the league for the
2002–03 season, when it reached the League's finals game. This was supposed to bridge the gap between the highest basketball level Maccabi engages in, in the EuroLeague, and the low-level Israeli league.
On 3 August 2011, NBA
point guard
The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game.
A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...
Jordan Farmar of the
New Jersey Nets
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995
* "New" (Daya song), 2017
* "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
signed a one-year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv, in the wake of the
2011 NBA lockout. He played for the team during the lockout.
It was reported on 14 November 2011, that Maccabi also agreed to terms with Israeli NBA
small forward
The small forward (SF), also known as the three, is one of the five Basketball position, positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than Power forward (basketball), power forwards and Cent ...
Omri Casspi, to join the team in several weeks. However, the end of the NBA lockout, and the 25 December 2011 start date for the 2011–12 season, brought Casspi and Farmar back from Tel Aviv, to join their NBA teams (Cleveland and Brooklyn, respectively).
Maccabi Tel Aviv ended the season winning four titles: the
Israeli League Cup, the
Israeli State Cup, the
Israeli Super League, and the
Adriatic League
The ABA League, renamed the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the top-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, ...
. In the 2012–13 season, Maccabi won the
Israeli League Cup and the
Israeli State Cup, and reached the EuroLeague playoffs, losing to Real Madrid 0:3. In the
Israeli Super League, Maccabi suffered a huge disappointment, as they lost to
Maccabi Haifa 79:86 in the finals.
2014 EuroLeague championship
In the
2013–14 EuroLeague season, Maccabi Tel Aviv finished first in their regular season group. The team went on to finish third in their top 16 group, leading to a best-of-5 playoff series against
Emporio Armani Milano, without the
home-court advantage.
In the first game, Maccabi stunned the hosts from Milano, by turning a 7-point deficit, with 30 seconds remaining on the clock, into a 101–99 overtime victory. Maccabi then won two home games, to win the series 3–1, and to secure its place in the
2014 EuroLeague Final Four.
In the EuroLeague semifinals, Maccabi came from behind to defeat the heavily favored CSKA Moscow, with a last-second basket, after CSKA had been up by 15 points late in the game.
Tyrese Rice scored the game-winning
lay-up, with 5.5 seconds to go.
Maccabi Tel Aviv head coach
David Blatt admitted after the semifinal that Maccabi had overshot every possible expectation during the season. When asked if the sky was the limit, Blatt said that "in this storm of a season, Maccabi long ago touched the sky, and reached the moon".
On 18 May 2014, Maccabi Tel Aviv won its sixth EuroLeague championship, after it defeated Real Madrid, by a score of 98–86, in overtime, to win the EuroLeague championship. Tyrese Rice was named the
EuroLeague Final Four MVP. The game received worldwide media attention, after in response to Real Madrid's loss to Maccabi, over 18,000
anti-Semitic
Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
messages were posted on
Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
, in an outpouring of hatred against
Jew
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
s. Maccabi entered the
EuroLeague Finals
The EuroLeague Finals are the championship finals of the EuroLeague competition. The EuroLeague is European professional club basketball pyramid, the highest level tier, and most important professional sports, professional sports club, club bask ...
as an underdog, with few expecting the team to even make it into the EuroLeague Final Four, let alone to go all the way and win the championship.
Following the success of winning the EuroLeague championship, Maccabi Tel Aviv's head coach David Blatt was hired to be the head coach of the NBA's
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...
. Blatt's assistant,
Guy Goodes was then appointed as his replacement at Maccabi.
2014 FIBA International Cup
After winning the 2014 Euroleague Championship, Maccabi Tel Aviv was invited by FIBA to play
2014 FIBA Intercontinental Cup against Brazil's Flamengo, who won the
2014 FIBA Americas League. The two-game aggregate score tournament took place at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 26–28 September 2014, to determine the champion. After beating Flamengo at the first game by 69–66, Maccabi lost the second game by 90–77. The aggregate score was 156–146, which made Flamengo the 2014 FIBA International Cup champion. Guy Goodes was Maccabi's coach at these two games.
2014–15 season

Head coach David Blatt left Maccabi to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers. Assistant coach Guy Goodes was promoted to head coach. In the 2014–15 season, Maccabi Tel Aviv was defeated 2–3 in the Super League Semifinals by
Hapoel Eilat. It was the first time in 22 years that Maccabi would not play in the Finals. In the EuroLeague, Maccabi lost in the playoffs to
Fenerbahçe Ülker 0:3.
2015–2017 Seasons: Downfall

Starting from the 2015–16 season, the team was named Maccabi
FOX Tel Aviv, referring to the new main fashion line sponsor. New players were signed, including some proven players such as
Taylor Rochestie and
Vítor Faverani. Jordan Farmar returned, and prospect
Dragan Bender
Dragan Bender (born 17 November 1997) is a Croatian professional basketball player who last played for the Monbus Obradoiro of the Spanish Liga ACB. He stands and played the power forward and center positions. He was selected by the Phoenix ...
gained more playing time as well.
After a slow start in the EuroLeague (1–3) and Israeli League (3–2), head coach Goodes was sacked on 9 November 2015. On 14 November,
Žan Tabak
Žan Tabak (born 15 June 1970) is a Croatian professional basketball coach and former player who is now serving as the head coach for Trefl Sopot of the PLK. His basketball career, spanning twenty years, was marked by several notable achievemen ...
signed a deal to become the head coach of Maccabi. Tabak lead the team to an Israeli Cup victory. Maccabi Tel Aviv was eventually eliminated from the EuroLeague after the regular season, and played in the
2015–16 Eurocup Basketball Last 32 phase, but failed to qualify for the playoffs after a loss at home to
BC Nizhny Novgorod
BC Nizhny Novgorod (), commonly known as simply Nizhny Novgorod, also known as Pari Nizhny Novgorod for sponsorship reasons, is a Russian professional basketball club from the city of Nizhny Novgorod. It participates in the VTB United League.
Hi ...
. The Israeli League season proved to be a disaster, when Maccabi was eliminated in the semifinal for the second consecutive season, this time by the eventual champions in
Maccabi Rishon LeZion. This started a three-year spell of not doing well in either league.
The 2016–17 season was even worse for Maccabi Tel Aviv. During the summer, solid players such as
Sonny Weems
Clarence "Sonny" Weems (born July 8, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the Shenzhen Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for the University of Arkansas and the University of Ar ...
and
Andrew Goudelock were signed, in hopes that they would lead Maccabi back to glory.
Erez Edelstein was named the head coach. However, the season began with difficulties in both the Israeli League, and with losses in the EuroLeague, and Edelstein was fired. Assistant
Rami Hadar briefly served as coach, before resigning after a series of losses, and Maccabi hired
Ainars Bagatskis, who served as David Blatt's assistant in
Darüşşafaka, as the new head coach. While Maccabi won the Israeli Cup with a win over rival
Hapoel Jerusalem, in the EuroLeague, Maccabi finished in 14th place in the new format, while only finishing in 4th place in the Israeli League regular season. Bagatskis was fired just before the playoffs, with
Arik Shivek becoming the new head coach for Maccabi. Maccabi made the
2017 Israeli Basketball Super League Final Four, but suffered a shocking loss to Maccabi Haifa in the semifinals, on the home
Menora Mivtachim Arena floor. After the season, longtime player
Devin Smith, with the team since the 2011–12 season, announced his retirement.
2017–2020
Neven Spahija returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv as the new head coach, having coached the team in the 2006–07 season. Forming a completely new team, Maccabi had a successful season – in the Euroleague, Maccabi fought for most of the season for a place in the playoffs, falling short only in the end, but finishing in 10th place, a huge improvement from the previous Euroleague seasons. In Israel, while Maccabi lost the Israeli State Cup for the first time since 2008, to
Hapoel Holon, Maccabi won the Israel League Cup. In the Israeli League, Maccabi finished in 1st place in the regular season, and dominated in the playoffs, finishing by winning the
2018 Israeli Basketball Premier League Final Four, defeating Hapoel Tel Aviv 98:74 in the semifinals, and crushing Cup winner Hapoel Holon 95:75 in the finals, winning their first Israeli League since 2014.
Alex Tyus was named the MVP.
For the 2018–19 season Maccabi Tel Aviv had high hopes. Coach Spahija started the season, but after four consecutive losses and a 1–6 start to the
2018–19 EuroLeague Season, Maccabi fired Spahija and hired
Ioannis Sfairopoulos as the head coach. Maccabi improved, and nearly qualified for the Euroleague playoffs, though a few losses in the end prevented the team from qualification. Maccabi finished 10th. While Maccabi lost both Cup tournaments, they dominated the Israeli League – winning both 1st place in the regular season, and the
2019 Israeli Basketball Premier League Final Four tournament, held in Tel Aviv, to win the Israeli League for the second consecutive season, with
John DiBartolomeo winning the MVP award.
2020–present
In the 2020–21 season, Maccabi Tel Aviv started off with no fans in attendance due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
The COVID-19 pandemic in Israel is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first case in Israel was confirmed on 21 February 2020, when a female citize ...
, and got off to a rocky start, winning 14 out of 34 Euroleague games. In the
Winners League, Maccabi beat
Hapoel Gilboa Galil
Hapoel Gilboa Galil () is a professional basketball club that is based in north-east Israel. The club plays its home game in the Israeli Basketball Premier League (the top tier of Israeli basketball) in a 2,250-seat arena in Gan Ner.
History
T ...
to win the
Israeli finals series 2–1, to win its 55th championship.
Through the summer of 2021, Maccabi signed
Jalen Reynolds who had already played for the club, alongside
James Nunnally and
Derrick Williams.
Due to the
Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
, the records of all regular season matches against Russian teams were annulled, and team won-loss records adjusted accordingly, dramatically affecting league standings. In the case of Maccabi Tel Aviv, it had lost three of four games against the Russian teams.
Due to the
Gaza war
The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
, Maccabi have played all home games at
Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in
Belgrade
Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
, Serbia since the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.
Arena
Menora Mivtachim Arena
Menora Mivtachim Arena in
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
with a capacity of 10,383 is the team's arena since 1964.
Aleksandar Nikolić Hall
Due to the events of the
Gaza war
The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
, The EuroLeague detractive board decided that Maccabi will host its’ “home” games in the
Aleksandar Nikolić Hall in
Belgrade
Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
,
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
until all matters are resolved
Supporters
In Yad Eliyahu Arena Maccabi is followed by one organised group: "The GATE" which was founded in 2017 after the merger of two organized groups, the first one is "Gate 11" and the second one is "Gate 7".
Accomplishments per season
In European and worldwide competitions
Players
Current roster
Ligat HaAl Depth chart
Squad changes for the 2024–2025 season
IN
Out
Franchise leaders
Points scored in the EuroLeague
#
Miki Berkovich – 3,588
#
Doron Jamchi – 3,262
#
Kevin Magee – 2,081
#
Aulcie Perry – 2,077
#
Lou Silver – 1,999
#
Anthony Parker – 1,804
#
Scottie Wilbekin – 1,801
#
Derrick Sharp – 1,755
#
Nikola Vujčić
Nikola Vujčić (born 14 June 1978) is a Croatian former professional basketball player, and the current general manager (basketball), team manager of the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C., Maccabi Tel Aviv. During his playing career, he played ...
– 1,730
#
Devin Smith – 1,539
#
Nadav Henefeld – 1,519
#
Jim Boatwright – 1,481
#
Tal Brody – 1,378
#
David Blu – 1,244
#
Earl Williams – 1,227
#
Tal Burstein – 1,224
Points scored in the Israeli League
#
Miki Berkovich – 6,060
#
Tanhum Cohen-Mintz
Tanhum Cohen-Mintz (; also "Tanchum or Tani" and "Cohen-Minz"; October 18, 1939 – October 11, 2014) was an Israeli professional basketball player. He was 6'8 " (2.04 m ) tall, and he played at the center (basketball), center position.
Early li ...
– 5,170
#
Doron Jamchi – 4,896
#
Tal Brody – 4,049
#
Kevin Magee – 3,215
#
Lou Silver – 3,195
#
Ralph Klein
Ralph Philip Klein (November 1, 1942 – March 29, 2013) was a Canadian politician and journalist who served as the 12th premier of Alberta and leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta from 1992 until his retirement in 2 ...
– 2,817
#
Derrick Sharp – 2,664
#
Nadav Henefeld – 2,438
#
Jim Boatwright – 2,282
#
Motti Daniel – 2,281
#
Aulcie Perry – 2,171
#
Motti Aroesti – 2,067
#
Tal Burstein – 2,043
#
Micha Schwartz – 1,963
Honors
Total titles: 115
Domestic competitions
Israeli League
* Winners (57): 1953–54,
1954–55, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05,
2005–06,
2006–07,
2008–09,
2010–11,
2011–12,
2013–14,
2017–18,
2018–19,
2019–20,
2020–21,
2022–23,
2023–24
* Runners-up (7): 1959–60, 1960–61, 1965–66, 1968–69,
2007–08,
2009–10,
2012–13
Israeli Cup
* Winners (46): 1955–56, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1993–94, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06,
2009–10,
2010–11,
2011–12, 2012–13,
2013–14,
2014–15,
2015–16,
2016–17,
2020–21,
2024–25
* Runners-up (8): 1961–62, 1968–69, 1995–96, 1996–97,
2007–08,
2017–18,
2022–23,
2023–24
Israeli League Cup
* Winners (11):
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
,
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
,
2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
,
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
,
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
,
2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
,
2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
,
2020
The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
,
2021
Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
,
2022
The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
,
2024
The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
* Runners-up (5):
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
,
2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
,
2016
2016 was designated as:
* International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
* International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
,
2019
This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year.
Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
,
2023
Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
European competitions
*
EuroLeague
The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...
: Winners (6):
1976–77,
1980–81,
2000–01,
2003–04,
2004–05,
2013–14
: Runners-up (9):
1979–80,
1981–82,
1986–87,
1987–88,
1988–89,
1999–00,
2005–06,
2007–08,
2010–11
: Semifinalist (1):
2001–02
: 3rd place (4):
1977–78,
1978–79,
1984–85,
1990–91
:
Final Four (12):
1988,
1989
1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
,
1991
It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
,
2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
,
2001
The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
,
2002
The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
,
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
,
2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
,
2006
2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Events
January
* January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.
* January 12 – A stampede during t ...
,
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
,
2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
,
2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
*
FIBA Saporta Cup
The FIBA Saporta Cup, founded as ''FIBA European Cup Winners Cup'', was the name of the second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winners, from all over Europe, played against eac ...
(defunct)
: Runners-up (1):
1966–67
*
European Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was original ...
(semi-official, defunct)
: Winners (1):
1991
It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
: 3rd place (1):
1990
Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
Regional competitions
*
Adriatic League
The ABA League, renamed the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the top-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, ...
: Winners (1):
2011–12
: Runners-up (1):
2002–03
Worldwide competitions
*
FIBA Intercontinental Cup
The FIBA Intercontinental Cup, previously known to as the FIBA World Cup for Champion Clubs and the FIBA Club World Cup, is an annual international men's basketball competition organised by FIBA, the sport's global governing body. The competit ...
: Winners (1):
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...
: Runners-up (1):
2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
: 3rd place (2):
1977
Events January
* January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...
,
1982
Events
January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...
: 4th place (1):
1987
Events January
* January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency.
* January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade.
* January 3 – Afghan leader ...
Other competitions
*
FIBA International Christmas Tournament (defunct)
: Winners (1):
2002
The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
: Runners-up (1):
1991
It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
: 3rd place (1):
1990
Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
: 4th place (2):
1989
1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
,
1992
1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General.
* January 6
** The Republ ...
* Tel Aviv, Israel Invitational Game:
: Winners (5): 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2020
: Runners-up (1): 2016
* Bamberg, Germany Invitational Game:
: Winners (1): 2009
* Frankfurt, Germany Invitational Game
: Winners (1): 2009
* Wroclaw Invitational Tournament
: Winners (1): 2010
* Tournoi d'Angers, France
: Winners (1): 2011
* Bonn, Germany Invitational Game
: Winners (1): 2014
*
Gomelsky Cup
The Gomelsky Cup is an annual basketball tournament held in Moscow in the fall. Four European teams are selected to participate in the tournament. The four teams face off in the semifinal bracket; the two winners of each match play each other, ...
: Runners-up (1): 2015
* Eilat, Israel Invitational Game
: Winners (1): 2017
* Pro Stars Tournament
: Winners (2): 2015, 2019
Individual club awards
*
Triple Crown
: Winners (6): 1976–77, 1980–81, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2013–14
Matches against NBA teams
Notes:
: First European team to defeat an NBA team.
: First European team to defeat an NBA team on North American soil.
The club's website also offers a narrative abou
their history vs NBA teams as well as thei
first victory in 1978
Notable players
''Bold indicates Maccabi Hall of Famers''
(Sources
maccabi.co.il
2020s
*
Bonzie Colson 2 seasons: ‘22 - ‘24
*
Josh Nebo 2 seasons: ‘22 - ‘24
*
Lorenzo Brown
Lorenzo D'Ontez Brown Banks (born 26 August 1990) is an American-Spanish professional basketball who plays for KK Crvena zvezda of the ABA League and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the NC State Wolfpack men's basketball, NC S ...
2 seasons: ‘22 - ‘24
*
Scottie Wilbekin 4 seasons: ‘18 - ‘22
*
Wade Baldwin IV 2 seasons: ‘23 - ‘24
*
Ante Zizic 2 seasons: ‘20 - '22
*
Derrick Williams 1 seasons: ‘21 - '22
2010s
*
Tyler Dorsey 2 seasons: '19-'21
*
Elijah Bryant
Elijah Brigham Bryant (born April 19, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for Anadolu Efes of the Turkish Basketball Super League (BSL) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Elon Phoenix and Brigham Young ...
2 seasons: '19-'21
*
Othello Hunter 2 seasons: '19-'21
*
Nate Wolters 2 seasons: '19-'20
*
Tarik Black 2 seasons: '18-'20
*
Johnny O'Bryant III 1 season: '18-'19
*
Deni Avdija 3 seasons: '17-'20
*
DeAndre Kane 2 seasons: '17-'19
*
Michael Roll 2 seasons: '17-'19
*
Jonah Bolden 1 season: '17-'18
*
Deshaun Thomas
Deshaun Leroy Thomas (born August 29, 1991) is an American former professional basketball player who last played for LDLC ASVEL of the French LNB Pro A and the EuroLeague. Standing at , he played the small forward and power forward positions. ...
1 season: '17-'18
*
Norris Cole
Norris Gene Cole II (born October 13, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Osos de Manatí of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). A 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) tall point guard, he is a two-time NBA champion, winning back-to-b ...
1 season: '17-'18
*
Pierre Jackson 1 season: '17-'18
*
Andrew Goudelock 1 season: '16-'17
*
Yovel Zoosman 5 seasons: '15-'21
*
Brian Randle 2 seasons: '14-'16
*
Tyrese Rice 1 season: '13-'14
*
Joe Ingles 1 season: '13-'14
*
Alex Tyus 4 seasons: '13-'15, '17-'19
*
Ricky Hickman 2 seasons: '12-'14
*
Itay Segev 4 seasons: '12-'13, '15-'18
*
Sylven Landesberg 5 seasons: '12-'17
*
Devin Smith 6 seasons: '11-'17
*
Yogev Ohayon 6 seasons: '11-'17
*
Shawn James 3 seasons: '11-'14
*
Jordan Farmar 2 seasons: '11, '15-'16
*
Keith Langford 1 season: '11-'12
*
Sofoklis Schortsanitis 4 seasons: '10-'12, '13-'15
*
Jeremy Pargo 4 seasons: '10-'11, '14-'15, '18-'19
*
Richard Hendrix 3 seasons: '10-'12, '16
;2000s
*
Gal Mekel 3 seasons: '09-'10, '16-'17
*
Guy Pnini 8 seasons: '09-17
*
Doron Perkins 2 seasons: '09-'11
*
Chuck Eidson 2 seasons: '09-'11
*
Alan Anderson 1 season: '09-'10
*
D'or Fischer 2 seasons: '08-'10
*
Carlos Arroyo 1 season: '08-'09
*
Marcus Brown 1 season: '08-'09
*
Terence Morris 1 season: '07-'08
*
Lior Eliyahu
Lior Eliyahu (; born 9 September 1985) is an Israeli former professional basketball player. He is 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) in height and he weighs 105 kg (225 pounds). He plays at the Power forward (basketball), power forward position. He was ...
6 seasons: '06-'09, '10-'13
*
Will Bynum 2 seasons: '06-'08
*
Omri Casspi 5 seasons: '05-'09, '19-21
*
Jamie Arnold 2 seasons: '05-'07
*
Yaniv Green 6 seasons: '04-'07, '08-'11
*
Maceo Baston 3 seasons: '03-'06
*
Will Solomon 1 season: '05-'06
*
Šarūnas Jasikevičius 2 seasons: '03-'05
*
Deon Thomas 2 seasons: '03-'05
*
David Blu 7 seasons: '02-'04, '07-'08, '09-'14
*
Nikola Vujčić
Nikola Vujčić (born 14 June 1978) is a Croatian former professional basketball player, and the current general manager (basketball), team manager of the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C., Maccabi Tel Aviv. During his playing career, he played ...
6 seasons: '02-'08
*
Beno Udrih 1 season: '02-'03
*
Yotam Halperin
Yotam Halperin (; born January 24, 1984) is an Israeli former professional basketball player. He is currently the sporting director for Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Premier League and the Champions League. He is a 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) t ...
6 seasons: '01-'05, '06-'08
*
Tal Burstein 11 seasons: '00-'09, '10-'12
*
Anthony Parker 5 seasons: '00-'02, '03-'06
;1990s
*
Nate Huffman 3 seasons: '99-'02
*
Ariel McDonald 3 seasons: '99-'02
*
Mark Brisker 3 seasons: '99-'02
*
Gur Shelef 7 seasons: '98-'05
*
Rashard Griffith 1 season: '97-'98
*
Derrick Sharp 15 seasons: '96-'11
*
Doron Sheffer 5 seasons: '96-'00, '02-'03
*
Constantin Popa 4 seasons: '96-'00
*
Velibor Radović 4 seasons: '96-'99, '00-'01
*
Randy White 2 seasons: '96-'98
*
Oded Kattash 4 seasons: '95-'99
*
Brad Leaf 3 seasons: '95-'98
*
Tom Chambers 1 season: '95-'96
*
Radisav Ćurčić
Radisav Ćurčić (, , ; born September 26, 1965) is a Serbian-Israeli former professional basketball player. Standing at and weighing , he played Center (basketball), center position. He represented the Yugoslavia national basketball team inter ...
4 seasons: '94-'96, '00-'02
*
Wendell Alexis 1 season: '93-'94
*
David Ancrum 1 season: '92-'93
*
Nadav Henefeld 12 seasons: '91-'02
*
Guy Goodes 8 seasons: '90-'97, '98-'99
;1980s
*
LaVon Mercer 6 seasons: '88-'94
*
Motti Daniel 9 seasons: '87-'96
*
Willie Sims 5 seasons: '87-'92
*
Ken Barlow 3 season: '87-'90
*
Doron Jamchi 12 seasons: '85-'96, '99-'00
*
Kevin Magee 6 season: '84-'90
*
Lee Johnson 3 season: '84-'87
*
Hen Lippin 9 season: '83-'92
*
Howard Lassoff 6 season: '81-'87
;1970s
*
Earl Williams 4 seasons: '79-'83
*
Shmuel Zysman 3 seasons: '78-'81
*
Aulcie Perry 9 seasons: '76-'85
*
Shuki Schwartz 5 seasons: '76-'81
*
Lou Silver 10 seasons: '75-'85
*
Bob Griffin 3 seasons: '75-'78
*
Motti Aroesti 14 seasons: '74-'88
*
Jim Boatwright 8 seasons: '74-'82
*
Eric Minkin 6 seasons: '73-'79
*
Miki Berkovich 16 seasons: '71-'88
*
Ronald Green 2 seasons: '70-'71
;1950–60s
*
Gabi Noimark 8 seasons: '67-'75
*
Micha Schwartz 9 seasons: '67-'76
*
Tal Brody 14 seasons: '66-'80
*
Avraham Hoffman 5 seasons: '63-'68
*
Haim Shtarkman 13 seasons: '63-'76
*
Amnon Avidan 9 seasons: '62-'71
*
Shabtai Ben-Basat 9 seasons: '57-'69
*
Tanhum Cohen-Mintz
Tanhum Cohen-Mintz (; also "Tanchum or Tani" and "Cohen-Minz"; October 18, 1939 – October 11, 2014) was an Israeli professional basketball player. He was 6'8 " (2.04 m ) tall, and he played at the center (basketball), center position.
Early li ...
14 seasons: '58-'72
*
Abraham Shneior 5 seasons: '54-'59
*
Ralph Klein
Ralph Philip Klein (November 1, 1942 – March 29, 2013) was a Canadian politician and journalist who served as the 12th premier of Alberta and leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta from 1992 until his retirement in 2 ...
12 seasons: '53-'65
Notable head coaches
*
Rudy D'Amico
*
David Blatt
*
Yehoshua Rozin
*
Ralph Klein
Ralph Philip Klein (November 1, 1942 – March 29, 2013) was a Canadian politician and journalist who served as the 12th premier of Alberta and leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta from 1992 until his retirement in 2 ...
*
Zvi Sherf
*
Pini Gershon
References
External links
*
Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball Official TelegramEuroLeague Team PageMaccabi Tel Aviv B.C.at Eurobasket.com
{{Israeli Basketball Super League
Tel Aviv B.C.
Basketball teams established in 1932
EuroLeague clubs
EuroLeague-winning clubs
Tel Aviv B.C.
Israeli Basketball Premier League teams