There are players who fail to fulfill the dreams they set for themselves at a young age throughout an entire career, but with Yam Madar Everything erupted in just a year and a half. He managed to be selected by Boston in 47th place in the draft, play in the summer league in front of the whole basketball world, get a surprising call from Zeliko Oberdovic, sign for three years with the Belgrade partisan, become a key player in the Israeli team and also get into a slightly less pleasant situation with Hapoel Tel Aviv. “These are moments when you feel you have done something, that the dream is coming true, but my road is still long,” he says in a special interview. Which will be broadcast tonight on “Sports News” (23:00, on 5 SPORT).
Let’s go back a year and a half. You sit in the living room in Beit Dagan, surrounded by family and friends, and see your name appear in the draft. What’s the feeling?
“You are with your family, with your closest friends, in such an exciting situation. It’s a dream come true. Everyone at that moment is already thinking about the next step, but I think you should rather think about what to do tomorrow, so as not to really sink into euphoria. This dream has not yet come true. There is still a lot of hard work ahead of me to be worthy and mature for this moment. “
How much are you due today compared to the draft night?
“I think there is no better school than playing for Zeljko Oberdovic. It’s a super good decision I made, I was glad it came to fruition. I did not hesitate, such an offer can not be said no. That is something I had to do. “
Does it feel different to come to the Israeli team from such a situation?
“It’s different from previous times, coming from abroad is not like coming from Hapoel Tel Aviv. I came when I was feeling a little unwell, with a high fever and muscle aches. I did not leave the room, we were stressed that it was Corona. “But I work hard to bridge the gap and contribute in any way I can. We have a super important task – to collect victories. These victories continue with us going forward.”
“You are scheduled to arrive in Boston, and suddenly Oberdovich calls.”
Even before the draft, Madar informed the media with the help of his representatives that he was “going for the NBA dream with all his might.” He did not imagine that after he was selected, right the night before the flight to the summer league in Las Vegas, he would get a phone call that was going to change all his plans for him. “You’re sitting at home, and your agent tells you that Jeliko Oberdovich is going to call you in a few more minutes,” Madar recalled. “You do not know what it’s about, you’re going through all sorts of movies in your head. You’re even planned to come to Boston, train and try to get a contract – and suddenly the call comes in and you’re trying to think while doing the right thing to do.”
What is he telling you?
“He called and asked me to come play for him. You hear the voice you’ve heard on TV over the years, it’s exciting, a huge honor. I think any child dreaming that a coach of this size would pick up the phone and tell him he wanted him on his team. It’s a consent that you do things right At that moment I thought the right thing to do was to really go through a process with myself, to let myself experience this thing. I think any such experience will build the success that will be in the future. When we look at all this in the future, I think the decision to reach Oberdovich will be a key point on my way forward. ”
You’re going to tell this to people in Boston. What response do you get?
“On the one hand it’s very impressive to them, on the other hand there may be some ego. For them Europe is one thing and the NBA is another. But somewhere it was convenient for them to rub with one, they knew they were not building on me to come and play in the first stage. I think that was the perfect situation. “
Is he really that tough or is he softer in training?
“No, he’s really not soft in training. He works the hardest of all. Everything you see from the outside, that’s how it is. One thing I did not see when I looked from the outside is his relationship with the players. Because in the end, you get ‘flushes’ during the season. And it can not work if you do not have a very good and healthy relationship.What is beautiful is that you can talk and tell the truth as it is, without going around. And help the team achieve victories and ultimately fight for titles. “
What “rinses” did you get from him?
“You can see on TV, he does not hide. We did not have any serious tackle, we have a lot of respect and appreciation for him, with all the shouting and things he does. You see how much basketball and how much there is behind things and learn to love it. I try as little as possible to analyze the “Things and as little as possible to think about why he does them, but where I went wrong and what I can fix.”
How do you feel Oberdovich is improving you professionally?
“He teaches you the game, how to react to things faster, how to manage the game as a coordinator, how to talk to the other players. You do not train to pass the training and get to the game, you train to understand what is not done well enough, to really work on things. His training is long, smart, he lets everyone understand exactly what he’s wrong with, does not miss any player. No matter what the player’s name, no matter what mistake he made. And it really does not end on the court. He goes through videos with you, does You have personal conversations on the flights and in the locker rooms, he really creates a relationship with you that goes forward and allows each other to understand each other. “
“I did not wish that this would end my path at Hapoel Tel Aviv”
The road into the hands of Oberdovich and Partisan Belgrade was full of obstacles for Madar. In February 2021, the coordinator filed an arbitration lawsuit against Hapoel Tel Aviv, the club where he grew up. Another in the contract. Finally, it was decided in the arbitration award that the contract was valid, as the Reds claimed, but a compromise was found: when a reasonable offer arrives, Madar will be able to ask to be released.
“Hapoel Tel Aviv was a home for me,” said Madar. The promise was made when I was 16, it was the first deal I made and I did not make it properly. It was my mistake, I relied on a word from people. “Fortunately, everything worked out in the end, and I can commend Rami Cohen for that.”
When you realized it was going to arbitration, how did you feel?
“It was not easy. People may not know, but before I came to Boston I did not have a permit from Hapoel Tel Aviv to go on the training ground and play in the summer league. The last two days we got the clearance, it was right on the scales. There was also a risk that I took it upon myself that if it did not go, I would have to pay Hapoel Tel Aviv. This is something that was not supposed to happen according to the initial summary. Not that I do not think Hapoel Tel Aviv deserved money for the years I was here, But the amounts they wanted when they realized I could be selected for the NBA were unrealistic. A sum of $ 750,000 if I remember correctly. “Arriving with Hapoel Tel Aviv for arbitration is something I did not want and did not plan.”
“When we got to the arbitration, I took Remy for a call and told him it was all about him. I grew up here, things were summed up differently and he knows it. So getting to the arbitration, instead of Hapoel Tel Aviv being behind me, you want my success, is something I did not wish for myself. I did not want to end the episode at Hapoel Tel Aviv in this way, I fought for the team all the time and did not think that this would be the end of my journey there. It’s something I did not watch, but these are difficulties that have to be dealt with. And we moved on. “
And how did Boston get it?
“It really was not easy. Boston was not ready to talk to Hapoel Tel Aviv, they wanted to know what was decided, to read a document that says what needs to be done to sign Yam Madar. And it’s delayed a month, and another two months, we tried to solve it during the season so as not to get to summer without knowing what’s going on with me. I did not want to get to the point where I was in Boston, two days before the start of training, and I did not go on the field because I did not have a permit to train. “
In this complex situation, did Maccabi Tel Aviv try to make a snatch?
“No appeal was made, but it’s not something I thought about at this point. I was just focused on the NBA, and when I got a call from Oberdovich everything became very clear to me.”
“Want to get to the NBA and get minutes, not be another player”
Partisan, at least according to Madar’s plans, is a stop on the way to fulfilling a childhood dream – but if you ask the team from Belgrade, the development of the players is really not a top priority. “The goal for which the team was built is to return to the Euroleague,” Madar said. “Zeljko Oberdovic did not come to the partisan to pass a year, he came to return to the Euroleague at the end of the year. We all know that, we do not hide.”
There is a reasonable chance that you will have to pass the Red Star Belgrade in the Adriatic final to meet this goal. What is it like to take part in one of the hottest games in Europe?
“Crazy. I did not get to experience such an atmosphere. There are a lot of emotions, the fans are crazy. They throw things at you and the police do nothing. You have to look where the next coin comes from, where the next lighter is thrown from. To make a really good preparation because we did not perform properly for the games. “
And if you pass them in the final and have to choose between the Euroleague and a two-way contract in Boston?
“I really, really like European basketball, it’s something I’m sure I would like to do one day, but the big dream is the NBA. I do not know what the situation will be, but when it comes I will have to decide. We are not there yet, it’s very far away, there are many “I personally work as a player to do to get and be worthy of getting minutes in the NBA and not be another player. That is not my goal.”
I mean, at the end of the partisan contract the goal is to try to get to the NBA again?
“That will always be the goal. I do not know if at the end of three years, at the end of this year or at the end of last year. If it is not the dream, I’m in trouble. I will always strive to play at the highest levels, with the best players, and try to fulfill my childhood dream. “It’s not something I’m going to give up. I have a job to do, and I’m willing to spend my time.”
How has the relationship with Boston been maintained in the meantime?
“We’re in touch, talking, texting. They tell me what I need to do better, where I need to get better, and these are the things I put the emphasis on. Brad Stevens recently came into the game against Ljubljana if I’m not mistaken.”
The people from Boston are talking to you about your future at the club?
“Not really. It depends on the situation the team is in and how fit I meet the situation. For me, I look less at what’s going on there. I have to work hard and prepare myself properly, when the situation comes I will have to be worthy of it. Not that I think I’m not good enough. “It’s good right now, but there are things I can do better to reach out and make an impact in the NBA.”
You and Danny Abdia are on good terms. Do you get to consult with him about the difficulties that may await you as a young guy coming to the NBA?
“We try to help each other in the situation we are in. Both he and I think less far away. I am currently a partisan in Belgrade, I have enough difficulties where I am. I try to hear experiences, how he copes with things, and he copes with not easy things. “In general. I think he does a great job, it’s not very easy to find your place in the group and adapt to living alone. He’s really proud of the whole country.”
Speaking of living alone. Tell us about the experience of a foreign actor, who is alone in a foreign country, at such a young age.
It is not easy, there are difficulties. You’re dealing with things you’ve not dealt with before. First season away from home, with a coach like Oberdovich. Sometimes the team does not succeed, does not go to you as you plan on the pitch, you may play less or not play as you want – and you have to deal with it alone. To my delight, I have a supportive and loving family that is by my side, helping me with everything I need and also coming to Serbia more than once or twice to spend time with me. It’s really not obvious and it’s time to say thank you. ”
Besides the NBA, do you have any more dreams to fulfill?
“Being healthy, having a healthy family, that’s all.”
