Jonathan Skjöldebrand (; born August 2, 1983) is a former Swedish-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 (appro ...

player.

Early life

Skjöldebrand was born in Amirim,

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 ...

to Swedish parents, he played for Hapoel Sasa and

Hapoel Galil Elyon Hapoel Galil Elyon (), 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 basketball, and internationally in t ...

youth teams. His dad is a Swedish Jew and his mom is a non-Jewish Swede.

Professional career

On August 28, 2011, Skjöldebrand signed with

Hapoel Tel Aviv Hapoel Tel Aviv () is a sports club in Israel, founded in the 1920s, and part of the Hapoel association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, such as football, basketball, w ...

. In his first season with Hapoel, they were promoted to the

Israeli Premier League The Israeli Premier League (, Ligat HaAl, ) is a professional association football league in Israel and the highest level of the Israeli football league system. The league is contested by 14 clubs, and operates on a system of promotion and rele ...

. On December 2, 2012, Skjöldebrand filed verbal abuse against

Guy Pnini Guy Pnini (; born September 4, 1983) is an Israeli former professional basketball player and basketball coach, currently serving as an assistant coach for Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League and the EuroLeague. Sta ...

who used curse words and racial comments towards him during a game between Hapoel and

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv () is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such as football, basketball, j ...

. On July 1, 2013, Skjöldebrand signed a two-year contract extension with Hapoel Tel Aviv. On August 31, 2015, Skjöldebrand parted ways with Hapoel and signed a one-year contract with

Maccabi Ashdod Maccabi Ashdod B.C. () is a professional basketball team based in the port city of Ashdod, Israel. The team currently plays in the Israeli National League. History The team was founded in 1961 by "Maccabi Ashdod Sports Association", with the ...

. On February 7, 2016, Skjöldebrand recorded a career-high 28 points, shooting 8-of-8 from three-point range, along with five rebounds and three assists in an 84–88 loss to

Maccabi Kiryat Gat Maccabi Kiryat Gat F.C. () was an Israeli football team based in the southern city of Kiryat Gat. The club's best achievement has been promotion to the Premier League as Liga Leumit runners-up in 2001, after beating Hapoel Beit She'an on the f ...

. Skjöldebrand helped Ashdod reach the 2016 Israeli State Cup Final where they eventually lost to

. On June 30, 2016, Skjöldebrand signed with

Ironi Nahariya Ironi Nahariya Basketball Club () 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 the Liga Leumit (the second tier of Israeli basketball) and ...

for the 2016–17 season. On April 18, 2017, Skjöldebrand participated in the 2017 Israeli All-Star Game and the

Three-point shootout The Three-Point Contest is a National Basketball Association (NBA) contest held on the Saturday before the annual All-Star Game as part of All-Star weekend. The 2019 iteration of the contest involved ten participants. From its introduction in 1 ...

during the same event. Skjöldebrand helped Nahariya reach the 2017 FIBA Europe Cup Quarterfinals and the 2017 Israeli League Playoffs. On June 9, 2017, Skjöldebrand was named 2017 All-Israeli League Second Team. On July 11, 2017, Skjöldebrand signed a two-year contract extension with Nahariya. On September 9, 2017, Skjöldebrand was named Nahariya's team captain. In 33 games played during the 2017–18 season, Skjöldebrand averaged 10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists, shooting 48.4 percent from three-point range. On July 4, 2018, Skjöldebrand signed with Hapoel Eilat for the 2018–19 season. On May 16, 2019, Skjöldebrand scored a three-pointer at the buzzer to give Eilat a 74–73 win over

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

, sending Herzliya to the Israeli National League. Skjöldebrand helped Eilat reach the 2019 Israeli League Final Four, where they eventually lost to

in the Semifinals. On August 27, 2019, Skjöldebrand signed a two-year contract extension with Eilat. On August 14, 2021, he has signed with

of the

Swedish national team

Skjöldebrand was a member of the Swedish national team at

EuroBasket 2013 EuroBasket 2013 was the 38th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe. It took place from 4 September until 22 September 2013 in Slovenia. The number of participating teams was 24. France men's national basketball ...

Personal life

His father, Lorentz Skjöldebrand, is a Swedish former basketball player who played in Israel.

References

External links

RealGM profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skjoldebrand, Jonathan 1983 births Living people CB Axarquía players Hapoel Eilat basketball players Hapoel Galil Elyon players Hapoel Haifa B.C. players Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C. players Israeli men's basketball players Israeli people of Swedish-Jewish descent Ironi Nahariya players Kouvot players Maccabi Ashdod B.C. players Melilla Baloncesto players Power forwards Södertälje BBK players Swedish expatriate basketball people in Spain Swedish men's basketball players Swedish expatriate sportspeople in Israel Swedish Jews 21st-century Swedish sportsmen 21st-century Israeli sportsmen A.S. Ramat HaSharon players