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With the Nets hosting Portland — and rising Trail Blazers star Deni Avdija taking on Nets rookies Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf — Monday marked the first time three Israelis ever faced off in the NBA. “Yeah, it’s special,” said Nets coach Jordi Fernández. “When other countries outside the US and Europe can be represented with three players here, it means the world, and it’s a special day that everybody has to enjoy. And I think they are already. …I don’t know Deni, but I’m sure he’s excited to play. I know Ben and Danny are. “And that’s good. It’s one of the two times that we’ll see this and hopefully for many years, see how these guys grow. Obviously Deni, a career year and how much better he has gotten. And then our two young guys, they’re getting better. And I want to see this matchup over the years and how interesting, how cool it is to see them play against each other.”
The Israeli Basketball Premier League has initiated a coordinated effort to relocate foreign players and their families outside the country following the recent escalation of the security situation, according to Israel Hayom. Players are being transferred to Sofia through Jordan, where they will remain together in a controlled environment organized by Hapoel Tel Aviv, allowing them to continue training while staying safe.
Three former South Carolina women's basketball players have been competing in Israel, Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said on social media Saturday, and an effort is being made to get them home in the wake of the United States-Israel military strikes against Iran. Staley wrote that Tiffany Mitchell, Mikiah Herbert Harrigan and Destiny Littleton were "in a war zone in Israel." "We are working a plan to get home," Staley wrote on X. "Let us pray for our loved ones to return home safely asap! Thank you in advance."
Littleton made several videos from Jerusalem that she posted on X, saying she was safe, had packed up her belongings and was heading to the home of a teammate who had a shelter. Sirens were going off in the background of some of her videos. "I'm just trying to stay calm," Littleton said. "I really don't want to even be out here on the streets. I'll keep you updated."
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The EuroLeague has officially confirmed venue changes for several upcoming regular season games involving Israeli clubs, with matches now set to be played at neutral locations. These adjustments affect games for both Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv and Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv. Maccabi will face Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in Round 33 at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade, Serbia, on Tuesday, March 24.
Confirming recent reports, Kessler Edwards has officially joined Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv as of Thursday. The 25-year-old forward signed a contract for the remainder of the 2025-26 season, bolstering the squad just before the EuroLeague registration deadline.
The 41-year-old Lakers superstar said of Avdija: “I’ve been quoted on Deni already and asked what I think about his season. I said I believe he’s an All-Star. He plays exceptional basketball.” James then talked about the Israeli fans of the NBA superstar. “I’ve never been there, but if I have fans over there, then I hope you’ve been following my career. I hope I inspire people over there to not only be great in sports but to be better in general, in life. Hopefully, someday I can make it over there. I’ve heard nothing but great things.”
MrBuckBuck: The NBA deputy commisioner, Mark Tatum, on about the fact there is a player from Israel on the World Team (Deni Avdija), and how it helps to the NBA become more gloal: "Oh, it's amazing. This game is played and loved all over the world on just the fact that nearly 30% of our players (note: NBA players) were born outside the United States; to see Deni as an All-Star now is fantastic. This whole concept of the USA vs. the world - a lot of people have been asking for that, so it's nice to be able to bring the international players together - they're such impactful players, and to create this opportunity for the USA to play the world, especially with our new partner NBC and during the Olympics". Q: Do you feel the Israeli fans that ???? more and more to the league: Tatum: "For sure, we know that Israeli fans all over the world staying up late, and watching Deni; and he is such a great, great young man, and such a great representative, so we're excited to have him in the league" Via @DrorFisher
The NBA deputy commisioner, Mark Tatum, on about the fact there is a player from Israel on the World Team (Deni Avdija), and how it helps to the NBA become more gloal:
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) February 15, 2026
"Oh, it's amazing. This game is played and loved all over the world on just the fact that nearly 30% of our… pic.twitter.com/dg8Lxmk9VT
Stefan Bondy: Guerschon Yabusele on report of team in Israel pushing to sign him: “I ain’t closing no door on nothing. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know what tomorrow’s going to be. So right now I can tell you nothing has been discussed or signed or anything like that. I’m a Knicks player at the end of the day. There’s nothing with that. But there’s been teams calling, so yeah, I feel like the report was just them saying they want me and then everybody thought that I signed something already. No, nothing like that. But there’s some teams out there that we heard are getting ready to sign me if I go back that way. We’ll see what happens.”
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Sport5 reports that Hapoel Tel Aviv are in negotiations with Guerschon Yabusele over a potential deal. The forward is described as a high-profile target, with multiple European clubs keeping close tabs on his case. The report frames it as a “big move” Hapoel want to complete in the next few days. It also notes Panathinaikos AKTOR among the teams linked to the former Real Madrid Baloncesto player.
Matteo Andreani: Hapoel Tel Aviv - Guerschon Yabusele. If the player decides to comeback to EuroLeague, Hapoel is ready to make a big offer. Hapoel offer to Yabusele is 2,5m $ until the end of the seasoN and 5 m $ for next year I'm told.
“I’m an athlete. I don’t really get into politics, because it’s not my job,” Avdija said. “I obviously stand for my country, because that’s where I’m from. It’s frustrating to see all the hate. Like, I have a good game or get All-Star votes, and all the comments are people connecting me to politics. Like, why can’t I just be a good basketball player? Why does it matter if I’m from Israel, or wherever in the world, or what my race is? Just respect me as a basketball player. “You don’t have to love what I stand for or how I look, but if I’m a good player, give props. All this hate … for no reason. Like, I’m deciding things in the world.”
“I’ll be honest: What do people expect me to do?” Avdija said. “This is my country, where I was born, where I grew up. I love my country; there are a lot of great things about my country. But obviously, not everyone is educated and knows what is going on, and that’s what pisses me off. Because if you are educated and know what is going on, it’s fine to say what you think and say who you think is right or wrong. But if you are not educated and you are not part of the Middle East, and you don’t understand how long this goes back and understand the consequences and everything … just don’t say anything. “I’m from there, and I respect my country and I stand behind it. I’m a proud Israeli, because that’s where I grew up. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for Israel and the support the people and fans gave me. But all the extra stuff around it? It’s just unnecessary.”