Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C.

History

The Israeli Basketball Super League started in 1954, and Maccabi Tel Aviv was the first champion. It has dominated the championship ever since, winning the title in 57 seasons, including 23 consecutive titles (1970 through 1992), losing to Hapoel Galil Elyon in 1993, and then continuing with 14 consecutive titles (1994 through 2007). The team has also won the Israeli Basketball State Cup overall 45 times.

From 1969 until 2008, Maccabi Tel Aviv was sponsored by Elite, Israel's largest food company, and carried its name. From July 2008 until 2015, Maccabi was sponsored by Electra Consumer Products. In 2015, they switched their sponsor to fashion chain Fox.

Since 1963, the club's home court has been the Yad Eliyahu Arena in Tel Aviv (later renamed "Menora Mivtachim Arena"). Originally an open-air court for 5,000 spectators, it is now a modern indoor arena with a capacity of 10,383.

Most Maccabi Tel Aviv head coaches have been former players of the club. Yehoshua Rozin was involved with the club for 40 years. Ralph Klein started as an 18-year-old player and later had five stints as a coach, leading the club to its first EuroLeague title in the 1977–78 season. Zvi Sherf played for Maccabi's second team, and coached the team in three stints. Pini Gershon played in the Youth department and, as a coach, led Maccabi to three EuroLeague titles: in 2001, 2004, and 2005.

Maccabi Tel Aviv has always provided the senior Israel national basketball team with a large number of players. Five Maccabi players, headed by Avraham Shneur, were on the team that represented Israel in its first EuroBasket, in 1953 in Moscow.

Tanhum Cohen-Mintz was one of Europe's top centers in the '60s, and was selected to the first FIBA European Selection European All-Star Team, which played in Madrid in 1964. Miki Berkowitz, Motty Aroesti, Lou Silver, and Eric Minkin played a major part in winning the silver medal at the 1979 EuroBasket in Torino. Doron Jamchi played 16 years for the Israel national team, and holds the record for appearances (191 international games) and points scored (3,515).

Maccabi Tel Aviv was the first Israeli club to enter the FIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague), in the 1958 season. Since then, it has played over 600 games in European-wide competitions, and was the only Israeli club to play in a FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup (FIBA Saporta Cup) Final (1967 Cup Winners' Cup), and to win the European-wide top-tier level EuroLeague on six occasions (1977, 1981, *2001 FIBA SuproLeague, 2004, 2005, and 2014). Maccabi has played in 15 EuroLeague Finals (1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2000, *2001 FIBA SuproLeague, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011, and 2014). In 1994 and 2004, Tel Aviv organized the EuroLeague Final Four.

Through the decades

1950s

5 Israeli League championships, 3 Israeli Cups.

Early success in the Israeli League. Rivalry with Hapoel Tel Aviv begins.

1960s

5 Israeli League championships, 5 Israeli Cups.

The club has achieved its status of prominence with the presence of FIBA European All-Stars players, such as center Tanhum Cohen-Mintz, and continues to have a rivalry with its cross-town club Hapoel Tel Aviv.

Tal Brody came to Israel in 1966 from the United States, after having been drafted #12 in the 1965 National Basketball Association Draft, originally just to take one year out of his life to play for Maccabi Tel Aviv. Ralph Klein, Israel's most successful coach at the time, said that up until the enthusiastic Brody's arrival, Israelis had only viewed basketball as a fun game. But within a year, with his serious attitude and his inspirational commitment, Brody had inculcated his teammates with his view of basketball as a way of life. At his urging, the team doubled the number of practices it held every week.

To capitalize on Brody's quickness and speed, the coach abandoned the team's formerly slow pace, in favor of a fast-paced motion game, built around fast breaks. Brody was the most dominant player in the European-wide second tier level FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup (FIBA Saporta Cup) in the 1966–67 season. In 1967, he was named Israel's Sportsman of the Year. The team made it through the first, second, and third rounds of the European Cup Winners' Cup's (Saporta Cup) playoffs, and reached the Finals, finishing second in the league.

For the first time, the Israeli Prime Minister (Levi Eshkol), the Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff, and Knesset members came to games. Demand for tickets to games in the team's 5,000-seat stadium was so high that they became exceedingly difficult to obtain.

1970s

1 FIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague), 10 Israeli League championships, 8 Israeli Cups.

The rise to the top in Europe. The first EuroLeague championship in 1977 was soon followed by another finals appearance in 1980. Tal Brody was the captain of that Maccabi Tel Aviv team.

The year 1977 was the apex of the Cold War, and the Soviet Union was boycotting Israel. In the first round of the FIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague) Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated Real Madrid, 94–85. In the second round, it beat BC Brno, Czechoslovak League, for the first time, 91–76, on 15 February 1977.

In the FIBA European Champions Cup semifinals, Maccabi Tel Aviv was matched against CSKA Moscow – the Red Army team. CSKA Moscow were considered a sporting powerhouse. The Soviet Army team had won the prior USSR League championship. Six of its players had played on the Soviet national team that had defeated the United States in the 1972 Summer Olympics, and their captain was Sergei Belov. And the Communists were well known for using sports to glorify what they billed as their supremacy over the West.

The Soviet Union had broken off diplomatic relations with Israel a decade earlier, and politically and militarily backed Israel's Arab enemies. For political reasons, therefore, CSKA Moscow refused to play in Tel Aviv. And the Soviets also refused to grant visas to the Israelis, to allow them to come play in Moscow. In the end, Maccabi Tel Aviv's "home game" was played in the small, neutral town of Virton, Belgium.

The game took place in an emotional atmosphere. It was of huge symbolic value for Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, and for many Israelis who ordinarily had no interest in basketball. The game pitted the capitalist West against the Communist East, and Israel against the country that was supplying its enemies with weapons. The game also matched the country of Israel, with a total of a mere 4 million inhabitants, against the Soviets, with their 290 million people. The newspaper Maariv billed the 17 February 1977, game as "the fight between David and Goliath." Most of Israel's population watched the game, which was broadcast on Israel's only TV channel at the time.

1980s

1 FIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague), 1 FIBA Intercontinental Cup, 10 Israeli League championships, 8 Israeli Cups.

A golden era of the Maccabi Tel Aviv ball club. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Maccabi dominated the Israeli Basketball Super League, winning all 20 league championships consecutively. Winning the FIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague) title in 1981, and reaching the FIBA European Champions Cup Finals for four more times, in 1982, 1987, 1988, and 1989. Miki Berkovich 1971–75, and 1976–88, Motti Aroesti 1974–88, Doron Jamchi 1985–96 and 1999–2000, Kevin Magee 1984–90, Lou Silver 1975–85, Ken Barlow 1987–90, Aulcie Perry 1976–85, and LaVon Mercer 1988–95 were the superstars of that Maccabi run.

Maccabi Tel Aviv beat Sinudyne Bologna, 80–79, in the Finals game, in Strasbourg, under head coach Rudy D'Amico. It was proof that Maccabi was at the top of European professional club basketball for good.

1990s

9 Israeli League championships, 5 Israeli Cups.

For Maccabi Tel Aviv there was no European-wide title in the decade, and the team had struggles in European competitions. However, the club was still considered to be one of the European powerhouses of that era, as the club then featured European All-Stars such as Doron Jamchy and Oded Kattash, as well LaVon Mercer. With the exception of 1993, Maccabi absolutely dominated the Israel League, winning every championship.

2000s

3 EuroLeague championships, 9 Israeli League championships, 7 Israeli Cups, 1 Israeli League Cup.

The "second golden era" of Maccabi Tel Aviv, making it the second most successful European basketball club of that decade. Maccabi made it to the FIBA EuroLeague's title game in 2000, which marked the start of Maccabi's second "golden era", the most successful of the club to date. During this decade, the club won three EuroLeague championships, in 2001 (FIBA SuproLeague), 2004, and 2005 respectively. They also reached the European title game on two more occasions, in 2006 and 2008. Ariel McDonald 1999–2002, Anthony Parker 2000–02 and 2003–06, Nate Huffman 1999–2002, Šarūnas Jasikevičius 2003–05, Maceo Baston 2003–06, Derrick Sharp 1996–2011, Nikola Vujčić 2002–08, and Tal Burstein 2000–09 and 2010–12 were the top players of Maccabi during this era.

The return to European glory for the club. This was the only year in European-wide professional club basketball history, with two recognized top-tier level European-wide champions, from two different organizations. Maccabi Tel Aviv was recognized as the winner of the traditional FIBA tournament, which had been renamed from the FIBA EuroLeague, to the FIBA SuproLeague; and Kinder Bologna, which was recognized as the champions of the newly established EuroLeague, which was organized by EuroLeague Basketball.

Maccabi experienced a successful 2003–04 season. Sharp's miracle three-pointer to survive the EuroLeague Top 16 that year has become one of the classic shots in European basketball history. Once in the 2004 EuroLeague Final Four, Maccabi turned in a record breaking performance, with an outstanding 118-point title game performance. Maccabi won a second consecutive EuroLeague title in 2005, becoming the first team to do so since 1991. Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Anthony Parker, Tal Burstein, Maceo Baston, and Nikola Vujčić, coached by Pini Gershon, became a classic lineup in European basketball history. This team of 2003–04 and 2004–05 is generally considered one of the best basketball teams in European club history. After Jasikevičius left the team, to fulfill his lifelong dream and play in the NBA, Maccabi went back to the 2006 EuroLeague Final, but CSKA Moscow stood in the way of a three-peat. Anthony Parker and Maceo Baston left after that year, signing multi-million dollar contracts with NBA teams. Center Nikola Vujčić stayed with Maccabi for two more years, playing in 2008 EuroLeague Final Four, before leaving the team, and signing a multi-million dollar deal with Olympiacos. Israeli Super League legends Derrick Sharp and Tal Burstein, remained with Maccabi, and continued to play for the team until 2011 and 2012, respectively. Maccabi also dominated the Israel League, winning every tournament from 1993 to 2007, and winning multiple Cup tournaments.

2010s

1 EuroLeague Championship, 5 Israeli League championships, 8 Israeli Cups, 6 Israeli League Cups, 1 Adriatic League championship.

For the 2010–11 season, management brought back head coach David Blatt, and added new premier players. Maccabi Tel Aviv reeled off nine consecutive wins to finish the EuroLeague regular season. Highlights included David Blu's game-winning triple against Khmki, Sofoklis Schortsanitis's dominance inside, and the defense of steals leaders Chuck Eidson and Doron Perkins. The momentum ended with a road loss at Regal FC Barcelona, at the start of the EuroLeague Top 16, but Maccabi surged again with three straight wins to reach the EuroLeague playoffs. Barca handed Maccabi another loss, this time in Tel Aviv – the only home defeat of the season – and ended Blatt's hopes for home-court advantage, in the next stage against Caja Laboral.

Maccabi Tel Aviv prevailed in the EuroLeague playoff series, as the injured Perkins' replacement in the starting lineup, Guy Pnini, set a single-game-career-high in scoring, along the way, and the team moved on to the 2011 Final Four. Jeremy Pargo finished with the best performance index rating, and the second-most points per game, among all playoffs participants. He also ranked among the top five players in three-pointers made, assists, and steals. Backup center Richard Hendrix was named MVP of the first round of the EuroLeague Playoffs, and finished as the overall playoff leader in rebounds and blocks. Maccabi Tel Aviv beat Real Madrid in the EuroLeague semifinals, 82–63, advancing to the EuroLeague Final game. On 8 May 2011, Maccabi lost the final game, 70–78, to Panathinaikos. With the exception of 2008 and 2010, Maccabi, up to 2011, also won every Israeli League from 1993.

Maccabi announced that it would join the Adriatic League for the 2011–12 season, joining the league for the second time, as it had also joined the league for the 2002–03 season, when it reached the League's finals game. This was supposed to bridge the gap between the highest basketball level Maccabi engages in, in the EuroLeague, and the low-level Israeli league.

On 3 August 2011, NBA point guard Jordan Farmar of the New Jersey Nets signed a one-year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv, in the wake of the 2011 NBA lockout. He played for the team during the lockout. It was reported on 14 November 2011, that Maccabi also agreed to terms with Israeli NBA small forward Omri Casspi, to join the team in several weeks. However, the end of the NBA lockout, and the 25 December 2011 start date for the 2011–12 season, brought Casspi and Farmar back from Tel Aviv, to join their NBA teams (Cleveland and Brooklyn, respectively).

2020–present

In the 2020–21 season, Maccabi Tel Aviv started off with no fans in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, and got off to a rocky start, winning 14 out of 34 Euroleague games. In the Winner League, Maccabi beat Hapoel Gilboa Galil to win the Israeli finals series 2–1, to win its 55th championship.

Through the summer of 2021, Maccabi signed Jalen Reynolds who had already played for the club, alongside James Nunnally and Derrick Williams.

Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the records of all regular season matches against Russian teams were annulled, and team won-loss records adjusted accordingly, dramatically affecting league standings. In the case of Maccabi Tel Aviv, it had lost three of four games against the Russian teams.

Due to the Gaza war, Maccabi have played all home games at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade, Serbia since the 2023–24 EuroLeague season. On December 11, 2025 Maccabi returned to Menora Mivtachim Arena. However, due to Iran war, the team moved its EuroLeague games to Aleksandar Nikolic Hall.

Arena

Menora Mivtachim Arena

Yad Eliyahu Arena, for sponsorship reasons known as the Menora Mivtachim Arena, is located in the Yad Eliyahu neighborhood in Tel Aviv and has a capacity of 10,383. The arena has been serving as the team's home arena since 1964.

Supporters

In Yad Eliyahu Arena, Maccabi is followed by one organised group: "The GATE" which was founded in 2017 after the merger of two organized groups, the first one is "Gate 11" and the second one is "Gate 7".

Players

Franchise leaders

Points scored in the EuroLeague

Points scored in the Israeli League

Honours and other achievements

Other Achievements

Triple Crown

Seasons (6): 1976–77, 1980–81, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2013–14

EuroLeague

Runners-up (9): 1979–80, 1981–82, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1999–00, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2010–11

Semifinalist (1): 2001–02

3rd place (4): 1977–78, 1978–79, 1984–85, 1990–91

Final Four (12): 1988, 1989, 1991, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2014

FIBA Saporta Cup (defunct)

Runners-up (1): 1966–67

European Super Cup (semi-official, defunct)

Winners (1): 1991

3rd place (1): 1990

Euroleague ULEB-FIBA Opening Tournament

Runners-up (1): 2001

FIBA Intercontinental Cup

Runners-up (1): 2014

3rd place (2): 1977, 1982

4th place (1): 1987

ABA League

Runners-up (1): 2002–03

Israeli League

Runners-up (7): 1959–60, 1960–61, 1965–66, 1968–69, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2012–13

Individual club awards

Triple Crown

Winners (6): 1976–77, 1980–81, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2013–14

Matches against NBA teams

The club's website also offers a narrative about their history vs NBA teams, as well as their first victory in 1978.

Notable players

Bold indicates Maccabi Hall of Famers (Sources: maccabi.co.il, [1])

2020s

Jaylen Hoard 1 seasons: '24 - '25

Rokas Jokubaitis 1 seasons: '24– '25

Bonzie Colson 2 seasons: ‘22 - ‘24

Josh Nebo 2 seasons: ‘22 - ‘24

Lorenzo Brown 2 seasons: ‘22 - ‘24

Scottie Wilbekin 4 seasons: ‘18 - ‘22

Wade Baldwin IV 2 seasons: ‘23 - ‘24

Ante Zizic 2 seasons: ‘20 - '22

Derrick Williams 1 seasons: ‘21 - '22

2010s

2000s

1990s

1980s

1970s

1950–60s