Remembering the Jewish Stars of the Boston Celtics

Three Jewish guys who played in the NBA back when the boston celtics players were jewish will be on the floor when the season begins on Tuesday. One of them is still unsure of his playing location.

Deni Avdija and Amari Bailey, two of those athletes, have switched teams, while Domantas Sabonis, an All-Star, is starting his fourth season with the Sacramento Kings.

Abby Meyers, who participated in nine WNBA games in 2023, and Ryan Turell, who played in the lesser G League the previous season, are both participating in professional sports in Israel this year.

Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija

Deni Avdija, 23, is starting his fifth NBA season and his first with the Portland Trail Blazers after a great year with the Washington Wizards. Over the summer, Portland acquired Avdija, the league's lone Israeli. He had agreed to a four-year, $55 million contract deal with the Wizards before to the previous campaign.

The Wizards picked Avdija, a native of Beit Zera in northern Israel, with the ninth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the earliest an Israeli has ever been chosen. Last season, Avdija set career highs by averaging 14.7 points per game, 7.2 rebounds, and a 51% field goal percentage. Avdija finished sixth for the NBA's Most Improved Player award after starting 75 games for the Wizards.

Point guard Amari Bailey

Amari Bailey, a 20-year-old guard, inked a deal with the Brooklyn Nets this summer after making his NBA debut with the Charlotte Hornets the previous season.

Bailey spent the most of the season with Charlotte's G-League affiliate after being selected 41st overall by the Hornets the previous season. He made 10 appearances with the club. Bailey was released on October 19 during the last preseason game, despite having been vying for a position on the Nets roster going into the season. He is probably going to sign with Brooklyn's G League club, the Long Island Nets.

Bailey, who was born in New Orleans and grew up in Chicago, relocated to California to play basketball at Sierra Canyon High School, a prominent private school in Los Angeles. He was later selected for the Pac-12 All-Freshman team after being recruited to play at the esteemed University of California, Los Angeles.

An influencer with 319,000 Instagram followers, Bailey's mother is Jewish and goes as Johanna Leia (last name Edelberg). The Forward was informed by Bailey's representative Bernie Lee that he personally identifies as Jewish.

Domantas Sabonis, center for the Sacramento Kings

Domantas Sabonis, a center and power forward, is starting his tenth NBA season and has established himself as one of the league's best players. Standing at a tall 6-foot-10, the 28-year-old is a three-time All-Star who has been selected to the All-NBA Third Team each of the last two seasons and has been in the top 10 in MVP voting.

Last season, Sabonis, who is now converting to Judaism, led the league in both points and rebounds with an average of 19.4 points and 13.7 rebounds per game. In the NBA, Sabonis' 8.2 assists per game placed him sixth, while his 59% field goal percentage placed him ninth. He participated in every one of the Kings' 82 games.

Born to Lithuanian parents in Portland, Sabonis has been studying under Los Angeles rabbi Erez Sherman and has been active in the Sacramento Chabad Hasidic community. In addition, Sabonis has been observing Shabbat, Passover, and other Jewish festivals while being kosher.

Shashana Sabonis (née Rosen), back when the boston celtics players were jewish, said last year that her husband "loves [Judaism] and really wants to be a part of it." Shashana attended Jewish day schools while growing up in Los Angeles. In August 2021, a Reform rabbi performed the couple's marriage.

FAQs

Were the best American professional basketball players Jewish in the past?

Were the best American professional basketball players Jewish in the past

Shikey Gotthoffer, Sonny Hertzberg, who, Nat Holman, Red Klotz, Dolph Schayes, Moe Spahn, and Max Zaslofsky were among the many Jewish basketball pioneers. Douglas Stark documents Jewish basketball in the following set of oral histories, concentrating on the years 1900–1960.

Who were the Jewish basketball players in the 1920s?

Barney Sedran was, in my humble view, the finest tiny guy who ever played the game, according to fellow Jewish Hall of Famer Nat Holman, who is regarded by many as the greatest player of the 1920s. He was capable of anything. very quick, a brilliant distributor, a fantastic ball handler, and a fantastic outside and inside shooter.

Who invented basketball in Jewish?

Dr. James Naismith created basketball in 1891 at a Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), and it soon gained popularity and spread across society.

Why do Jews love basketball?

Basketball used to be referred to be a Jewish sport, but currently there aren't many professional Jewish basketball players. Urban, immigrant populations in the Northeast served as a focal point for this somewhat simple and affordable hobby, which was created in Springfield, Massachusetts around the start of the 20th century.