Gidi Lipkin
Yeftah Ziv and Jacob Brown (Itzik Blanitsky)
Against the backdrop of the threat of the basketball players’ strike and the announced labor dispute with the league teams, a meeting was held this evening (Monday) between the basketball players’ organization and the Minister of Culture and Sports Miki Zohar. At the meeting, the parties reached an outline to prevent the strike the players started a few days ago.
According to the outline, any team that shares up to four foreigners on the field during each game for the entire season will receive an additional grant of six million shekels, while a team that plays with more will receive none. In addition, foreign exchanges will be possible until January, unless the player is injured, then it will be possible later. Also, a development league up to the age of 22 will be established at the same time.
The meeting of the players’ organization was also held together with Nir Alon, chairman of the sports division of the Histadrut, and Ari Shteinberg, chairman of the league’s management. The basketball association stated: “We welcome the outline that the minister proposed and are confident that it will lead to a significant improvement in the level of basketball and the Israeli player. We call on the members of the Premier League administration to support the proposal and we will work to promote it.”
Minister of Culture and Sports Mickey Zohar He added: “As we promised, God willing, we bring great news to Israeli sports in general and the world of basketball in particular. The level of the league will rise significantly next season and our Israelis will get to play more minutes alongside very high-quality players on a world scale who will come to play in Israel, at the same time we do not forget the cultivation of our young people and will establish academies along with development leagues. I feel we are on the right track.”
Chairman of the Board Ari Steinberg He said: “The minister’s outline constitutes a real revolution in Israeli basketball and we are sure that it will lead to the flourishing of the league and the flourishing of the Israelis who play in it today and will play in the future.” We are happy to cooperate with the players’ organization and work professionally to improve and promote young Israeli players. I thank Minister Miki Zohar for quickly reaching a solution to the plight of the players and I thank Oded Shashua and Nir Alon for conducting themselves in a matter-of-fact and professional manner. After the minister’s outline is drawn up in all its sections, it will be submitted for approval by the administration’s board of directors.”
Nir Alon The head of the sports division of the Histadrut and the representative of the players’ organization said: “The outline brought by the Minister of Sports Miki Zohar is good news for the basketball industry. He cares about the Israeli players in particular and the basketball industry in general. At this point we decided to freeze the labor dispute. We thank the minister for the support and the chairman of the administration Ari Steinberg. Together with the CEO of the Basketball Players Organization, Oded Shashua, we will continue to take care of athletes in Israel.”
