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Ralph Klein (coach)
Encyclopedia
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player and coach
Coach (basketball)
Basketball coaching is the act of directing and strategizing the behaviour of a basketball team or individual basketball player. Basketball coaching typically encompasses the improvement of individual and team offensive and defensive skills, as well as overall physical conditioning.Coaching is...
.
Early life
Klein was born in Berlin during the time of the Weimar RepublicWeimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
, to an affluent Hungarian Jewish family that returned to Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
before the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. His father died in Auschwitz, but he and his family survived thanks to efforts by Raoul Wallenberg
Raoul Wallenberg
Raoul Wallenberg was a Swedish businessman, diplomat and humanitarian. He is widely celebrated for his successful efforts to rescue thousands of Jews in Nazi-occupied Hungary from the Holocaust, during the later stages of World War II...
.
Basketball career; player and coach
After the war, at the age of 16, he began playing football but later moved to basketball and played in the Hungarian national league. In 1951 he immigrated to IsraelAliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
with his mother.
After serving in the Israeli navy, he joined Maccabi Tel Aviv, with which he played more than 160 games up until 1964, scored 2,701 points and won eight state championships
Ligat Winner
Ligat HaAl , or the Israeli Basketball Super League, is the top tier of league basketball competition in Israeli basketball, making it Israel's primary basketball competition. For sponsorship reasons, the league is also referred to as Ligat Loto , lit...
and six state cups
Israeli Basketball State Cup
The Israeli Basketball State Cup is the second most important basketball competition in Israel, after Ligat HaAl. The tournament began in the 1955-56 season, and is run by the Israel Basketball Association....
. He was a member of the Israeli national team
Israel national basketball team
The Israeli national basketball team is the basketball team that represents Israel in international competition.The Israeli team has participated 25 times in the European championship tournament. Their best achievements were a silver medal in Eurobasket 1979, and 5th place in 1953 and 1977...
that took part in the 1952 men's basketball tournament
Basketball at the 1952 Summer Olympics
Basketball at the 1952 Summer Olympics was the third appearance of the sport. 23 nations entered the competition.The top six teams at the 1948 Summer Olympics qualified automatically, as did the 1950 World Champion , the top two at the 1951 European championships , and the host country...
, the 1954
1954 FIBA World Championship
The 1954 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation in Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from October 22 to November 5, 1954...
World basketball championship and the 1953
Eurobasket 1953
The 1953 European Basketball Championship, commonly called Eurobasket 1953, was the eighth regional championship held by FIBA Europe. Seventeen national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation entered the competition. The competition was hosted by the Soviet Union,...
, 1959
EuroBasket 1959
The EuroBasket 1959 was the 11th EuroBasket, the biennial regional basketball championship contested by European nations and held by FIBA Europe. The tournament, which was hosted by Turkey, began on 21 May 1959 and concluded with the final on 31 May 1959. Seventeen national teams affiliated with...
, 1961
EuroBasket 1961
The 1961 European Basketball Championship, commonly called Eurobasket 1961, was the 12th regional championship held by FIBA Europe. Eighteen national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation entered the competition. The competition was hosted by Yugoslavia...
and 1963
EuroBasket 1963
The 1963 European Basketball Championship, commonly called Eurobasket 1963, was the 13th regional championship held by FIBA Europe. Seventeen national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation entered the competition...
European championships
Eurobasket
The EuroBasket, also referred to as the FIBA European Basketball Championship, is the main basketball competition contested biennially by the men's national teams governed by FIBA Europe, the European zone within the International Basketball Federation. The championship was first held in 1935 and...
. He played 68 games for the national team.
He began his coaching career in 1964. In 1969 he was appointed as head coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv, with which he won 14 championships and the European title
Suproleague
FIBA SuproLeague was the FIBA professional club basketball Champions' Cup for the 2000-01 season. Up until that season, there was one cup, the FIBA European Champions' Cup , though in this season of 2000-01, the leading European teams split into two competitions: the FIBA SuproLeague and the ULEB's...
in 1977. As coach of the Israeli national team, he won second place in the EuroBasket
Eurobasket
The EuroBasket, also referred to as the FIBA European Basketball Championship, is the main basketball competition contested biennially by the men's national teams governed by FIBA Europe, the European zone within the International Basketball Federation. The championship was first held in 1935 and...
in 1979
EuroBasket 1979
The 1979 European Basketball Championship, and in short Eurobasket 1979, was the 21st regional championship held by FIBA Europe. Twelve national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation entered the competition. The competition was hosted by Italy...
and sixth place in 1981
EuroBasket 1981
The 1981 FIBA European Basketball Championship, commonly called EuroBasket 1981, was the 22nd regional championship held by FIBA Europe. The competition was hosted by Czechoslovakia and took place from May 26 to June 5, 1981...
and 1983
EuroBasket 1983
-Venues:-Group A - Limoges :-Group B - Cannes :-Places 9 - 12:-Places 5 - 8:-Places 1 - 4:-Finals:-Final rankings:# # # # # # # # # # # # -Team rosters:...
. In 1983, he unexpectedly announced his appointment as the coach for the West German national team
Germany national basketball team
The German national basketball team for men is the basketball side that represents Germany in international competitions. Their biggest successes are the victory in the European Championship of 1993 at home in Germany, the silver medal in the 2005 European Championships and the bronze medal in the...
and for BSC Saturn Koln, a position he held until 1985.
Klein led the West German national team to an eighth place finish in the 1984 Olympic basketball tournament
Basketball at the 1984 Summer Olympics
-Group B:-Championship bracket:-Classification brackets:5th–8th Place9th–12th Place-Preliminary Round:...
in Los Angeles and a fifth place at the 1985
EuroBasket 1985
-Venues:-Group A - Karlsruhe :-Group A - Leverkusen :-Places 9 - 12 in Stuttgart:-1/4 finals :-Places 5 - 8 in Stuttgart:-Places 1 - 4 in Stuttgart:-Finals in Stuttgart:-Final rankings:# # # # # # # # # # # #...
European championship held on West German home soil.
In 2007, he was diagnosed as suffering from Colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer, commonly known as bowel cancer, is a cancer caused by uncontrolled cell growth , in the colon, rectum, or vermiform appendix. Colorectal cancer is clinically distinct from anal cancer, which affects the anus....
and was believed to be on his deathbed. However, his health improved and he even went back to coaching.
He died of cancer on August 7, 2008, at Sheba Medical Center
Sheba Medical Center
The Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer , also Tel HaShomer Hospital, is the largest hospital in Israel.-Overview:The hospital was named after Chaim Sheba, the founding director. It was established in 1948 as the country's first military hospital to treat casualties of Israel's War of...
in Tel Hashomer
Tel HaShomer
Tel HaShomer is a district in Gush Dan in central Israel. It is located east of Ramat Gan, and is bordered to the north by Kiryat Ono, to the east by Yehud, and to the south by Or Yehuda...
.
Awards
In 2006, he was awarded the Israel PrizeIsrael Prize
The Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
for sport, along with former football goalkeeper Ya'akov Hodorov
Ya'akov Hodorov
Ya'akov Hodorov was an Israeli football goalkeeper in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. He was considered by many to be Israel's best goalkeeper in history, and among the best goalkeepers of his generation.-Football career:Hodorov started his football career at Maccabi Rishon LeZion at the age of 15...
.
In 2005, he was voted the 67th-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet
Ynet
Ynet is the most popular Israeli news and general content website. It is owned by the same conglomerate that operates Yediot Ahronot, the country's secondleading daily newspaper...
to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.
Commemoration
- In 2010 the filming of "PlayoffPlayoff (film)Playoff is a 2011 biographical film, written and directed by Israeli director, Eran Riklis. The film "Playoff" is inspired by the life of Ralph Klein, Israel's most famous basketball coach, ever.-Plot:...
" began, a movie based on Klein's life story, and directed by Israeli movie director, Eran RiklisEran RiklisEran Riklis is an Israeli filmmaker. His films include Cup Final , The Syrian Bride , and Lemon Tree . He was born in 1954 and he studied at the National Film and Television School in England. He is married to Dina Riklis and they have two children, a daughter, Tammy, and a son, Jonathan...
. - Israeli basketball team, Elitzur Elkana, whom Klein coached towards the end of his life, is named after the veteran Israeli coach (Elizur "Ralph Klein" Elkanah). The basketball team also wrote a Sefer TorahSefer TorahA Sefer Torah of Torah” or “Torah scroll”) is a handwritten copy of the Torah or Pentateuch, the holiest book within Judaism. It must meet extremely strict standards of production. The Torah scroll is mainly used in the ritual of Torah reading during Jewish services...
in the name and honor of Klein. - The veteran group of Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team commemorates the achievements and memory of Ralph Klein, and since his death it is named "Maccabi Ralph Klein Tel Aviv".
See also
- List of Israel Prize recipients