Hapoel Tel Aviv players celebrate with the trophy after defeating Gran Canaria in the EuroCup final in the Gran Canaria Arena, Spain, April 12, 2025. (Flash90)

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Hapoel Tel Aviv won its first European basketball title last Friday, beating the Spanish team Gran Canaria 103-94 to sweep the EuroCup finals. It’s the first time since 2004 that an Israeli team has won the tournament. With the victory, Hapoel will be promoted to the top European basketball tier, EuroLeague, where it will compete alongside Maccabi Tel Aviv.

“I know that for you, we beat Valencia [in the semifinals] and the Canaries [in the finals], but for me, we beat Hamas,” said Hapoel owner Ofer Yanai. “They tried to break our spirit, and they didn’t succeed. We made history tonight. History in Israeli sports, national history.”

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With the NCAA basketball and hockey seasons over — and college football still a few months away — we’ve reached the portion of the sports calendar where college athletes make career-defining decisions. This week, that included a number of Jewish players.

These rising Jewish stars are making serious moves

Most notably, Israeli-American basketball star Danny Wolf officially declared for this summer’s NBA Draft, where he’s expected to be a first-round pick. Wolf is coming off a solid season at Michigan, where he led the Wolverines to the Sweet 16. The 7-footer is the No. 19 prospect in ESPN’s NBA draft projections.

Israeli Ben Saraf also officially declared for the NBA Draft, where he could also be a first-round pick. Saraf, a 6-foot-6 point guard, has been playing professionally in Germany this year. He’s the No. 23-ranked draft prospect per ESPN, and has long been expected to enter this summer’s draft. “This is the right time for me,” Saraf told ESPN.

And NHL prospect Zeev Buium signed his first professional contract, a three-year, $2.925 million entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild, who drafted him 12th overall in 2024. Buium, whose University of Denver recently lost in the NCAA Frozen Four, could join the Wild for their upcoming Stanley Cup Playoff push.

As Wolf departs from NCAA basketball, another Israeli arrives: 18-year-old Omer Mayer has committed to play at Purdue University. Mayer, a point guard, had been playing with Maccabi Tel Aviv and was viewed as one of this year’s top international recruits.

And lastly, Orthodox football player Sam Salz officially entered the transfer portal with one remaining year of NCAA eligibility. Last year, Salz became the first Orthodox Jew to appear in a Division-I college football game, while playing for Texas A&M.

Halftime report

GOLDEN BOYS. Fresh off his NCAA title, Florida basketball coach Todd Golden filled two vacancies on his coaching staff with fellow Jewish basketball veterans, Jonathan Safir and Dave Klatsky. Safir, like Golden, is a former Maccabi USA coach. And Klatsky, who was previously the head coach at NYU, had been chosen to compete in the 2001 Maccabiah Games while he was a college player at Penn, but bowed out because of the Second Intifada.

FIGHTING WORDS. Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy spent the first night of Passover waving an Israeli flag and cheering as UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell got choked out at a bout in Miami. “Always fun to see a Hitler lover get his ass whopped,” Portnoy tweeted about Mitchell, who had praised Hitler on a podcast in January.

MAY THEIR MEMORY BE FOR A BLESSING. A Jewish family was killed last weekend when their private plane crashed en route to upstate New York to celebrate Passover. Among the victims was Karenna Groff, a former soccer player at MIT who had been named the 2022 NCAA woman of the year. In 2019, she played for the USA women’s soccer team at the European Maccabi Games in Budapest.

NO(R) WAY. Released Israeli hostage Omer Shem Tov spoke via FaceTime with Manchester City star Erling Haaland. “Thank you so much for calling me,” said Shem Tov, who is visibly starstruck in the video. Haaland, who also plays for Norway’s national team, is one of the world’s top goal scorers.

Why this week was different from all other weeks in baseball

For many of the Jewish players in MLB, the past week has been nothing short of impressive. It must be all that matzah they’ve been eating.

Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman collected his first career five-hit game on Tuesday, going 5-for-5 with two home runs. The next day, he returned home to be with his wife as they celebrated the birth of their second son, Bennett. 

Miami Marlins first baseman Matt Mervis also celebrated a birthday in style this week — hitting a home run on his 27th birthday on Wednesday. The blast was the Team Israel alum’s sixth this season, three of which have come since Passover began last weekend.

New York Yankees ace Max Fried tossed another gem on Tuesday, striking out seven over 6 2/3 innings. Fried has been stellar in each of his last three starts, dropping his season ERA to 1.88 and proving why the Yankees gave him the largest contract ever for a left-handed pitcher (and for a Jewish player).

Fellow pitcher Dean Kremer earned his second win of the year on Wednesday in his best performance of the season, allowing only one run over 5 1/3 innings with two punchouts. 

And in the field, the gloves have been excellent, too. Minnesota Twins outfielder Harrison Bader has become a living highlight reel. During Passover alone, he has made two phenomenal diving plays and an impressive throw to nab a runner at the plate.

Seattle Mariners first baseman Rowdy Tellez took part in one of the best plays in the sport this week when he made a twisting catch on this crazy ground ball fielded by catcher Cal Raleigh.

And Texas Rangers outfielder Kevin Pillar, long known for his acrobatics with his glove, added yet another incredible catch to his collection.

For all their success at the plate, on the mound and in the field, dayenu.

Jews in sports to watch this weekend (all times ET)

🏒 IN HOCKEY…

The NHL playoffs begin this weekend, with a number of Jewish players in the hunt for the Stanley Cup. Luke Hughes and the New Jersey Devils take on the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the first round Sunday at 3 p.m. Zeev Buium and the Minnesota Wild play the Vegas Golden Knights Sunday at 10 p.m. Jakob Chychrun and the Washington Capitals face the Montreal Canadiens Monday at 7 p.m. Zach Hyman, Jake Walman and the Edmonton Oilers match up against the Los Angeles Kings Monday at 10 p.m.

⚾ IN BASEBALL…

Max Fried starts for the New York Yankees Sunday at 1:40 p.m. against the Tampa Bay Rays. Alex Bregman and the Boston Red Sox host the Chicago White Sox in a four-game series that begins today. Harrison Bader and the Minnesota Twins face the Atlanta Braves this weekend, while Rowdy Tellez and the Seattle Mariners play the Toronto Blue Jays.

⚽ IN SOCCER…

In European soccer, Manor Solomon and Leeds United play Oxford United in the English Championship today at 3 p.m. Matt Turner and his Premier League club Crystal Palace host Bournemouth Saturday at 10 a.m. In the MLS, Tai Baribo (Philadelphia Union), Daniel Edelman (New York Red Bulls), Liel Abada (Charlotte F.C.) and Ilay Feingold (New England Revolution) are all in action Saturday at 7:30 p.m. DeAndre Yedlin and F.C. Cincinnati face Chicago Saturday at 8:30 p.m.

⛳ IN GOLF…

Max Homa, Max Greyserman and Daniel Berger are competing at the RBC Heritage tournament this weekend in South Carolina. David Lipsky will be on the green at the Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic.

🏎 IN RACING…

Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll races in the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Sunday at 1 p.m. 

A hero’s welcome

Last week, our feature story focused on Israeli NBA player Deni Avdija’s breakout season, and what his star turn has meant to his Israeli fans. With the Portland Trail Blazers done for the season, Avdija returned home to Israel this week. This picture, taken by Josh Halickman (the “Sports Rabbi”) gives a great taste of Avdija’s celebrity status in Israel, where hordes of media and fans greeted him at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport.

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