Most people are not aware of the long love affair between Jews and basketball. In the early half of the 20^th century, basketball was considered “The Jewish man’s game,” and Jewish players dominated professional basketball. In the 1920s and 1930s, a team of Jews, the South Philadelphia Hebrew Association, SPHAs, dominated basketball, playing games throughout the East and Midwest as “The Wandering Jews.” They earned five dollars a game, which was big bucks for city kids in those days.

Jews have also been deeply involved in basketball as college and professional players as well as coaches and team owners. Famous National Basketball Association (NBA) players over the years include Neal Walk, Dolph Schayes, Larry Brown, Rudy LaRusso, Art Heyman, and Max Zaslofsky. An Israeli basketball legend, Tal Brody, was Israel’s first modern day sports hero. In 1965, Brody, an All-American player at the University of Illinois, led the U.S. team to a gold medal at the Maccabiah Games, and in 1969 he led Maccabi-Tel Aviv to Israel’s first Maccabean gold medal. In 1977, Brody led the Maccabi team to the European Cup championship, and in 1999, he was awarded the Israel Prize, the nation’s highest civilian honor.