Israel’s national anthem, “Hatikvah,” echoed through the stands of Spodek Arena before a face-off with Poland.
Before Israel’s match in Katowice, Poland, the Israel Security Agency told Israel’s roster to keep Israeli symbols hidden whenever possible and to maintain a low profile in public, according to Israel Hayom. Despite these precautions, Polish fans booed the Israeli national anthem across the stands.
Shooting guard Eitan Burg spoke to the Jerusalem Post to describe his response to the boos.
“It hurt me personally. It was really jarring to hear that kind of reaction. But the more they booed, the louder we sang. We shouted the anthem, we were proud of the flag, proud of who we are,” Burg said.
Israel ultimately lost a close game 66-64, including solid performances from small forward Deni Avdija and power forward Tomar Ginat. Avdija scored 24 points and Ginat created seven rebounds.
“Israelis and Jews should be able to freely play the game without having to face blatant anti-semitism,” said Elani Joseph, a student at Towson University and fan of the Israeli national basketball team.
The Israeli national basketball team advanced to the round of 16 at EuroBasket for the first time since 2015. Israel made a couple of deep runs in past tournaments, notably in 1979 and 2003, but experienced a drought of success until this year.
The tournament started strong for Israel with an 83-71 victory over Iceland on Aug. 28 during the group stage, powered by a career high 31 points for center Roman Sorkin. Avdija contributed as well, with 20 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks, making an impact on both ends of the floor.
Israel returned to Spodek Arena after losing to Poland. They trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half to France, but late-game heroics by Avdija led Israel to a fourth-quarter comeback. Israel won the game 82-69, giving France their first loss. Avdija led the team with 23 points, eight rebounds, and five steals.
France entered the game as the reigning silver medalists in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Israel held them to only 13 fourth-quarter points, their lowest in the tournament. Few expected Israel to beat France, which boasted Zaccharie Risacher, the top pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, in the past year.
Ari Purim has closely followed Israeli basketball since moving to Idan, Israel with his family at age 12. He found the team’s path through the tournament motivational for his own life.
“If I had to define it, it’s the journey the team went through, all the ups and downs. To see this group of guys try their might at the tournament and still fall short is both inspiring and hard to see at the end of the day,” Purim said.
Israel beat Belgium and lost to Slovenia, closing out the group stage of the tournament and clinching a spot in the round of 16. Israel last made the tournament in 2015, but lost in the first-round to Italy. They lost to NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece in a 84-79 game.
The team’s resilience meant more than the results for Purim. He explained that success in worldwide tournaments creates the best opportunity for Israeli basketball to grow.
“Success as an Israeli fan means global recognition of our game. The national team isn’t popular enough to really affect the whole country. Israel is really diverse, and not everyone even knows about its success. But for the fans, we just want the team to succeed, and I hope well for their future,” Purim said.
The future looks bright for Israeli basketball with Avdija leading the charge for more Israel-born players to join the NBA. The Brooklyn Nets recently selected back-to-back Jewish players, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf, with the 26th and 27th picks in the 2025 NBA Draft.
With the national team proving it can compete with Europe’s best, Israel is no longer an underdog; it’s a program on the rise.
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