Robert Rothbart ( he, רוברט רות'בארט, born Boris Kajmaković on June 16, 1986) is a Bosnian-Israeli 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 (appr ...
player playing the position of
center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
for
Elitzur Eito Ashkelon
Elitzur Eito Ashkelon ( he, אליצור "איתו" אשקלון) is a professional basketball team based in Ashkelon in south west Israel. The club currently plays in Israeli National League.Israeli National League. He was named the
Israeli Basketball Super League Most Improved Player
The Israeli Basketball Premier League Most Improved Player, or Israeli Basketball Super League Most Improved Player, is an award given to the Most Improved Player of each season of the Israeli Basketball Premier League, which is the top-tier level ...
in 2015.
Early life
Rothbart was born in
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...
, the capital of
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, where they stayed for two years before moving to the United States when he was eight years old.
After graduating from
The Harker School
The Harker School is a private, non-profit school located in San Jose, California. Founded in 1893 as Manzanita Hall, Harker now has three campuses: Bucknall, Union, and Saratoga, named after the streets on which they lie.
About
The Bucknall ca ...
, a private elementary school in
San Jose, California
San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...
Mountain View, California
Mountain View is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. Named for its views of the Santa Cruz Mountains, it has a population of 82,376.
Mountain View was integral to the early history and growth of Silicon Valley, and is the ...
),
Monta Vista High School
Monta Vista High School is a four-year Public school (government funded), public high school located in the Silicon Valley city of Cupertino, California, Cupertino, California, US. Part of the Fremont Union High School District, the school serves ...
(
Cupertino, California
Cupertino ( ) is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States, directly west of San Jose on the western edge of the Santa Clara Valley with portions extending into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The population was 57,8 ...
), and
Natomas High School
Natomas High School is a high school in the Natomas Unified School District located in the Natomas neighborhood of Sacramento. It is located at 3301 Fong Ranch Road. The school mascot is Nelly the Nighthawk.
History
Opened in 1997, the school i ...
(
Sacramento, California
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...
). During his stay in Sacramento, he was involved in the Serbian community and was mentored by Serbian-born NBA star
Vlade Divac
Vlade Divac ( sr-Cyrl, Владе Дивац, ; born February 3, 1968) is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player who was most recently the vice president of basketball operations and general manager of the Sacramento Kings ...
. Rothbart pulled out of the
2004 NBA Draft
The 2004 NBA draft was held on June 24, 2004, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and was broadcast live on ESPN at 7:00 pm ( EDT). In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur colle ...
before trying his luck a year later in the
2005 NBA Draft
The 2005 NBA draft took place on June 28, 2005, in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players f ...
, but he went undrafted.
Professional career
Although he initially committed to
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universit ...
, Rothbart decided in the summer of 2004 to skip college and play in Europe, where he's active today.
After two seasons with
Paris Basket Racing
Paris Basket Racing, or PBR, was a French professional basketball club from Paris. It was founded in 1922, as the basketball section of the multi-sports club Racing Club de Paris. The team took the name "Paris Basket Racing" in 2000. In 2007, the ...
in the French Pro A league and one season with Israeli club
Hapoel Galil Elyon
Hapoel Galil Elyon ( he, הפועל גליל עליון), also known as Hapoel Nofar Energy Galil Elion for sponsorship reasons, is an Israeli basketball club. The team competes in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, the top tier of Israeli b ...
, Rothbart moved back to play in his birth country of Bosnia and Herzegovina to play for
Borac Banja Luka
Fudbalski klub Borac Banja Luka (Serbian Cyrillic: Фудбалски клуб Бopaц Бања Лука, ) is a Bosnian professional association football club, based in the city of Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is the major part of th ...
in the local
First League of Republika Srpska
The First League of the Republika Srpska ( sh, Prva liga Republike Srpske / ) is a second level Association football, football competition in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The league champion is promoted to the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina ...
.
Prior to the 2008–09 season, he returned to the Israeli League, this time signing with
Ironi Nahariya
Ironi Nahariya Basketball Club ( he, מועדון הכדורסל עירוני נהריה; ) known for sponsorship reasons as Ironi Rain Nahariya () is a professional basketball club based in city of Nahariya in northern Israel. The team plays in t ...
Israeli Basketball State Cup
The Israeli Basketball State Cup ( he, גביע המדינה בכדורסל) is the second most important professional basketball competition in Israel, after the Israeli Basketball Super League, Israeli Super League. It is the national federation ...
semi-finals.
In the summer of 2010, Rothbart signed to play for
Maccabi Haifa
Maccabi Haifa ( he, מכבי חיפה) is one of the biggest sports clubs in Israel and a part of the Maccabi association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Haifa which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, such as Football ...
.
In August 2011, Rothbart signed with
Union Olimpija
Košarkarski klub Olimpija ( en, Olimpija Basketball Club) was a men's professional basketball club based in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Olimpija has won 23 National League championships, including eight consecutive titles between 1992 and 1999. They ...
KK Igokea
Košarkaški klub Igokea ( sr-cyrl, Кошаркашки клуб Игокеа), commonly referred to as KK Igokea or as Igokea m:tel due to sponsorship reasons, is a men's professional basketball club based in Aleksandrovac near Laktaši, Republ ...
, in 2014.
In July 2015, Rothbart signed a 2-year deal with Hapoel Tel Aviv after being named the Israeli League's Most Improved Player and MVP of the league's all-star game in the previous season. He was named the
Israeli Basketball Super League Most Improved Player
The Israeli Basketball Premier League Most Improved Player, or Israeli Basketball Super League Most Improved Player, is an award given to the Most Improved Player of each season of the Israeli Basketball Premier League, which is the top-tier level ...
in 2015.
In July 2016, Rothbart signed with Hapoel Eilat.
On August 17, 2017, Rothbart signed with Maccabi Kiryat Gat, joining his former head coach Roi Hagai. In 35 games played for Kiryat Gat, he averaged 18.9 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.1 blocks per game. Rothbart helped Kiryat Gat reach the
Liga Leumit
Liga Leumit ( he, ליגה לאומית, lit. ''National League'') is the second division of the Israeli Football League, and below its Premier League.
Structure
There are 16 clubs in the league. At the end of each season, the two lowest-place ...
Finals, where they eventually lost to
Hapoel Be'er Sheva
Hapoel Be'er Sheva Football Club ( he, מועדון הכדורגל הפועל באר שבע, ''Moadon HaKaduregel Hapoel Be'er Sheva'') is an Israeli football club from the city of Be'er Sheva, that competes in the Israeli Premier League. The c ...
.
On June 4, 2018, Rothbart returned to France for a second stint, signing a one year deal with a second year option with
ESSM Le Portel
Étoile Sportive Saint-Michel Le Portel Côte d'Opale, commonly known as ESSM Le Portel or simply Le Portel, is a professional basketball team based in Le Portel, France. The team currently plays in the Pro A, the first tier in France.
History
In ...
of the
LNB Pro A
The LNB Pro A, currently known for sponsorship reasons as Betclic Élite, is the top-tier men's professional basketball league in France. The competition has existed since 1921. Since 1987, the Ligue Nationale de Basket has governed the league. ...
league. However, on November 11, Rothbart parted ways with Le Portel to join
Hapoel Be'er Sheva
Hapoel Be'er Sheva Football Club ( he, מועדון הכדורגל הפועל באר שבע, ''Moadon HaKaduregel Hapoel Be'er Sheva'') is an Israeli football club from the city of Be'er Sheva, that competes in the Israeli Premier League. The c ...
for the rest of the season.
On July 14, 2019, Rothbart signed a one-year deal with
Elitzur Eito Ashkelon
Elitzur Eito Ashkelon ( he, אליצור "איתו" אשקלון) is a professional basketball team based in Ashkelon in south west Israel. The club currently plays in Israeli National League.Israeli National League.
Personal
Robert holds citizenship for a few countries including
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
,
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
, the
United States of America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
, and
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...