Basketball

Blueprint vs breakdown: Hapoel Tel Aviv’s plan delivers, while Maccabi pays the price

As EuroCup champs, Hapoel was given a one-year temporary license, so to speak, to the Euroleague, and anything after that was not guaranteed unless the Reds advanced to the playoffs.

|ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
VASILIJE MICIC and Hapoel Tel Aviv are headed to the Euroleague playoffs in their first season in the competition, while Maccabi Tel Aviv’s continental campaign is over.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS Israeli forward Deni Avdija drives on Phoenix Suns guard Collin Gillespie for two of his game-high 41 points in the Blazers’ 114-110 victory

Blazers ride Avdija's late heroics to play-in victory over Suns

Avdija's ability to control the game stood out as much as the scoring. Avdija shot 15-of-22 from the field, added 12 assists, and dictated the tempo throughout his 38 minutes on the court.

|ByJERUSALEM POST SPORTS STAFF
Harrison Hochberg, the first Jewish member of the University of Michigan basketball team to win a National Championship.

On the record and off the court: Meet the only Jewish player on the NCAA championship team

As one of a small number of Jewish men’s basketball players in the Big Ten Conference, Hochberg reflects on the championship run, celebrating Passover during the Final Four, and antisemitism.

|ByADAM FINKEL/JTA
MACCABI TEL AVIV guard Lonnie Walker found his form to score a game-high 25 points in the yellow-and-blue’s 103-89 Euroleague win over Anadolu EFES.

Hapoel Tel Aviv, Maccabi Tel Aviv make crucial Euroleague wins ahead of derby

Hapoel up to 4th place in Euroleague with win over Panathinaikos • Maccabi continues late-season push for Play-In.

|ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN

A buzzer beater and a new ‘Jimmy Buckets’ in Tel Aviv

Rising the ranks in Euroleague, Jimmy Clark's recent buzzer-beater victory shot led to Partizan Belgrade's defeat at the hands of Maccabi Tel Aviv.

FEBRUARY 5, 2026ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
MACCABI TEL AVIV’S Jimmy Clark reacts after hitting the game-winning shot this week at Yad Eliyahu to send the yellow-and-blue to a 95-93 Euroleague victory over Partizan Belgrade.

Iran’s supreme leader tells Eretz Nehederet he’s bored of bingeing TV in his bunker

Eretz Nehederet shifted focus from Trump to a bunker-bound Khamenei, mocking Iran-US tensions, Israeli defense systems, and domestic politics amid mounting war anxiety.

FEBRUARY 5, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
Eretz Nehederet parodies Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, February 4, 2026.

Maccabi Tel Aviv tops Partizan at the buzzer, Hapoel continues to slump in Euroleague

Prior to the game, Maccabi Tel Aviv held a ceremony honoring Partizan for hosting the club for more than two years after the terrorist attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

FEBRUARY 4, 2026ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
MACCABI TEL AVIV guard hits the game-winning shot late in the fourth quarter of the team’s 95-93 Euroleague home victory over Partizan Belgrade at Menora Mivtachim Arena.

Deni Avdija drawn into political storm after Netanyahu’s All-Star praise

Netanyahu’s message, posted shortly after Avdija was named an All-Star reserve, read: “Every time you step onto the court, our country shines with pride.”

FEBRUARY 3, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST SPORTS STAFF
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS forward Deni Avdija, the first Israeli selected to the NBA All-Star Game, has found his historic achievement followed by online backlash after a congratulatory message from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Why Deni Avdija’s All-Star moment feels bigger than basketball in Israel - analysis

“I’m an athlete. I don’t really get into politics, because it’s not my job. I obviously stand for my country, because that’s where I’m from,” he said in an interview last month in The New York Times.

FEBRUARY 2, 2026ByHERB KEINON
Deni Avdija #8 of the Portland Trail Blazers looks on against the Washington Wizards during the first half at Capital One Arena on January 27, 2026 in Washington, DC.

NBA star Deni Avdija becomes first Israeli chosen for All-Star game

More fans voted for the Israeli than for LeBron James, Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Edwards, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, and many others.

FEBRUARY 2, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST SPORTS STAFF
Deni Avdija #8 of the Portland Trail Blazers warms up before the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Moda Center on February 01, 2026 in Portland, Oregon.

Hapoel Jerusalem advances to State Cup semis as Tel Aviv clubs fall in Europe

Hapoel Jerusalem defeated Hapoel Tel Aviv, advancing to the Israel State Cup semifinals as Hapoel Tel Aviv and Maccabi Tel Aviv faced defeat in Euroleague basketball games.

FEBRUARY 2, 2026ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
JARED HARPER scored a game-high 24 points to lead Hapoel Jerusalem to a 93-83 State Cup quarterfinal victory over a suddenly slumping Hapoel Tel Aviv.

Israel’s basketball powerhouse: Deni Avdija’s meteoric rise to NBA stardom

Deni Avdija has become the fulcrum of Portland’s offense and one of the most productive two-way forwards in the league.

JANUARY 31, 2026ByASHER SMITH
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS forward Deni Avdija (8) scores a basket during the first half against Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic (5) at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.

Hapoel Tel Aviv beats Beersheba in OT, while Jerusalem, Mac TA both take wins home

Hapoel Tel Aviv slipped by Hapoel Beersheba 112-108 in overtime to notch the tight win at Yad Eliyahu and improve its Israeli league record to 14-1 and remain in first place.

JANUARY 27, 2026ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
HAPOEL TEL AVIV'S Antonio Blakeney blocks a shot during the Reds' 112-108 overtime victory over Hapoel Beersheba in Israeli league action at Yad Eliyahu.

Everyone loves Rayman after Maccabi Tel Aviv's Euroleague triumph

Above all, the player who contributed to the win over the Greeks was Will Rayman, who perhaps made the most important and critical play, a play that wasn’t even with the ball.

JANUARY 25, 2026ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
MACCABI TEL AVIV'S Will Rayman (11) has earned an increasingly important role with the club and he was instrumental in the yellow-and-blue's 75-71 Euroleague victory over Panathinaikos.