Israeli sports have always been the subject of debate: who is better? Who left a bigger mark? What transcends what – past glory or present achievements? And on the occasion of the 74th Independence Day of the State of Israel, we decided to decide the debate once and for all.
In recent weeks, as part of a special project of the sports channel, you were asked to choose the five best players that Israeli basketball had to offer in the 2000s and choose the “quintet of the state”. You had to decide between Gal Makal, Yotam Halperin and Meir Tapiro and determine whether Danny Abdia, who is only at the beginning of his career, has a place among all the veterans on the list. And now, it’s time to close the surfers’ votes and expose those who have come within touching distance of the championship ring – the second five. Your choices, let’s get started!
Coordinator – Yotam Halperin (20% of surfers’ choices)
In the position of second coordinator of the “five of the country”, you chose a man who greatly influenced Israeli basketball as a player and recently also the lines. Halperin has been a star since he was a teenager and led Maccabi Tel Aviv to championships and trophies, while at the same time also winning the high school championship with Travest High School in Raanana. When he was only 17, the guard started playing with the club’s senior team, as his credit grew over the years and he was a partner in one of the biggest teams in the history of European basketball, although in those years he was not a significant part of the Yellows.
In his second term, after a particularly successful year at Ljubljana, he was already one of the important players in the yellow. His glorious career continued even after he left Maccabi Tel Aviv and went on a European tour for the second time, and was signed with great years at Hapoel Jerusalem – where he became a symbol after winning the first and only two championships in the club’s history.
Beyond the great influence in the teams he played for, Halperin represented Israel in no less than 7 European Championships, when in most of them he was one of the most significant in the team. In fact, Halperin is ranked fifth in the team scoring of all time. Guard’s abilities on the basketball court are undisputed, as he managed to combine great talent with a particularly high playing intelligence that is also expressed in the coaching position. Although Halperin no longer plays, he is expected to have even more significant years in the basketball world of our tiny country.
Shooting Guard – Tal Burstein (28% of surfers’ choices)
Whoever was chosen by you for the second shooting guard of the 2000s, will be remembered forever thanks to the significant part he played in one of the great teams that Israeli and European basketball knew. Burstein was without a doubt the most important Israeli screw in the rotation of Maccabi Tel Aviv made by Pini Gershon and was the only Israeli in the memorable quintet that included Sharas, Parker, Baston and Vujicic.
To understand how significant he was, we will go back to the pair of finals in 2004 and 2005 (also in the Superoliga final in 2001 he started with a five and scored 5 points), so he played a total of more than 60 minutes and scored 25 points. Moreover, in the Euroleague, Burstein was chosen as one of the 13 biggest symbols of the yellow club of all time. Although he managed to make 178 appearances in the second best league in the world, there is a feeling he could have been even bigger with a little more luck and fewer injuries over the years.
Beyond his team games (Herzliya, Maccabi and Spanish Fuenlabrada), Burstein made four Eurobasket appearances in the national team uniform, was very significant in three of them (including the team that finished 7th in 2003) and placed 11th in the team’s all-time scoring. Whoever received the number 10 shirt at Maccabi Tel Aviv after the departure of Oded Katash, will always be remembered as a yellow symbol, a fine scorer and a tough defensive player.
Small Forward – Danny Abdia (24% of users’ choices)
Given that he was only born in 2001, Danny Abdia’s choice as one of the top ten Israelis in the current millennium is particularly impressive. So why is Abdia already now part of what is a top ten? Because for those who managed to forget, he led the reserve team to two consecutive European Championship victories, in both of which he entered the top five of the tournament and in the second even won the MVP title. Also in our Israeli league he managed to get the MVP title even before the age of 20 and was the youngest to do so ever.
Whoever was selected as No. 9 in the 2020 draft by the Washington Wizards, showed in the first two seasons in the NBA good ability and continuous improvement – and now, it seems that even in the US are beginning to understand that the sky is the limit in terms of loss. The country’s quintet, perhaps as early as a year from now, will be the one to lead it.
Power Forward – Lior Eliyahu (18% of users’ choices)
He was one of the most influential and talented players that Israeli basketball has ever produced, one that does not grow here every day. And the truth is, from the very beginning of his career it was possible to understand that this was something special. At the end of the first decade of his life and at the opening of the second, Eliyahu played in the Upper Galilee and even then was one of the best players in the Premier League and a gifted scorer. The good years in the north paved the way for Maccabi Tel Aviv and for seven consecutive years in the Euroleague – six of them in yellow.
His only departure outside of Israel was for Kaka to Borel for one season, where he provided a record game in the final of the local arena against Barcelona, then led his team to win the Spanish championship with 18 points. Although he did not manage to take part in winning the European Championship of the Yellows, he won a title that no Israeli before him could achieve – the MVP of the month in the Euroleague.
Then came the move to Jerusalem, which made quite a bit of noise. Eliyahu managed to lead the team from the capital to the first two championships in history and signed a career rich in titles and achievements in the modest Maccabi Ashdod. As in his professional career, he also starred in the national team from a young age – first in the young frames and then in the adult. He appeared in six consecutive Eurobasks and in all of them was one of the stars of the team, on his way to fourth place in all-time scoring. Elijah will be remembered forever among basketball fans for being a great scorer and as the man who invented the “guava” shot he developed into an art.
Center – Alex Tios (28% of surfers’ choices)
The level of commitment of the Karsiyaka player these days to the national team can be debated, but the high level he displayed and the huge part he played in Maccabi Tel Aviv’s recent win in the European Championship is impossible – which is probably why he made it into the top ten. Although Tios has recorded many Euroleague seasons with various teams in Europe, the 2013/14 season stands above them all, so he was an important part of David Blatt’s puzzle and even contributed 12 points and 11 rebounds in the final game against Real Madrid, in which he also managed to play later.
The American, who converted and became a citizen at the beginning of his career in Israel, then played for Maccabi Ashdod, is without a doubt one of the most athletic players who represented the Israeli team. His ability to jump made him an Eli-Hop machine in his good years and one that also protects the ring in a way that our team was lacking. Apart from Abdia, the 34-year-old chin, who was the second Israeli to win the Euroleague Player of the Month title (twice), is the only one in the top ten who still plays at a competitive level. It will be interesting to see how and where Tios will end his career.
