Uri Kokia ( he, אורי קוקיה; born May 14, 1981) is an 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 ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

and a former professional basketball player. He is the current head coach for

Ironi Ramat Gan Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan ( he, מכבי עירוני רמת גן, formerly Ironi Ramat Gan) is a male basketball club based in Ramat Gan in central Israel. The team plays in Liga Leumit (basketball), Liga Leumit, the second division in Israeli baske ...

of the

Liga Artzit Liga Artzit ( he, ליגה ארצית, lit. ''Country League'') is the defunct third division of Israeli Football League, beneath its highest division Premier League and the second division Liga Leumit. Before being cancelled in 2009, it was run b ...

. Kokia played as a

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 eccentricity ...

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers. When on Of ...

position and was a member of the

Israel national basketball team The Israel men's national basketball team ( he, נבחרת ישראל בכדורסל) represents Israel in international basketball tournaments. They are administered by the Israeli Basketball Association. Israel is currently ranked 33rd in the ...

. 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 2009. In November 2017, Kokia publicly

came out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

Basketball career

Uri Kokia began playing basketball with sport clubs Elitzur Yavneh and

Maccabi Rehovot Maccabi Rehovot F.C. ( he, מכבי רחובות) is an Israeli football club based in Rehovot. The club was a founding member of the Israeli League in 1949 and competed in the top division during the 1950s, but today plays in Liga Gimel, the ...

. At 21 years of age, Kokia entered the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

, playing for

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 ...

. He played five seasons for

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 ...

, and has also played for

Bnei Hasharon Bnei Herzliya Basket (, lit. ''Sons of Herzliya''), is a professional basketball club that is based in Herzliya, in the Sharon district in Israel. The club plays in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, the top division of Israeli basketball. It ...

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 ...

(after the 2007-08 season),

Hapoel Holon Hapoel Holon Basketball Club ( he, מועדון הכדורסל הפועל חולון), known for sponsorship reasons as Hapoel Atsmon Playgrounds Holon (), is a professional basketball club based in Holon, Israel. The team plays in the Israeli B ...

, and

Hapoel Jerusalem Hapoel Jerusalem is a sport organization in Jerusalem as a local branch of the Hapoel movement. The branch was established in the 1920s and represents the city in more sports than any other sport organization in Jerusalem. Today, the club's leadi ...

(for whom he was team captain). He was named the

in 2009. In 2010, at the age of 29, Kokia was slated to make his Israel national team debut for the start of the 2011

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 ...

qualifying campaign. In November 2010, he suffered a torn tendon in his shoulder. On June 19, 2018, Kokia joined his former team Elitzur Yavne of 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 ...

. However, on January 20, 2019, Kokia parted ways with Yavne and joined Hapoel Ramat Gan Givatayim for the rest of the season.

Coaching career

In the 2014/2015 Premier League season he was named

assistant head coach, he won the team's first championship. On August 8, 2019, Kokia was named

new head coach for the 2019–20 season.

Personal life

On November 28, 2017, Kokia

as gay, becoming the first male professional basketball player in Israel to publicly do so.

References

External links

Hapoel Jerusalem B.C. profileMaccabi Haifa profileIsrael Basketball Association profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kokia, Uri 1981 births Living people Bnei HaSharon players Centers (basketball) Elitzur Yavne B.C. players Maccabi Rehovot B.C. players Hapoel Galil Elyon players Hapoel Holon players Hapoel Jerusalem B.C. players Hapoel Ramat Gan Givatayim B.C. players Ironi Nahariya players Israeli men's basketball players Maccabi Haifa B.C. players Maccabi Kiryat Gat B.C. players Power forwards (basketball) Sportspeople from Yavne Israeli people of Georgian-Jewish descent LGBT basketball players Israeli LGBT sportspeople Gay sportsmen LGBT Jews