Yotam Halperin
Encyclopedia
Yotam Halperin is an Israel
i professional basketball player. He is a 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) tall combo guard.
Halperin, who is Jewish, was born and raised in Tel Aviv
and was the basketball star of Metrowest High School in Ra'anana
. He declared himself eligible for the 2006 NBA Draft
, and the Seattle SuperSonics
(Now Oklahoma City Thunder
) selected him in the second round, with the 53rd overall pick. He is currently plays for BC Spartak Saint Petersburg in Russia.
and Anthony Parker
.
Halperin sat on the bench for the Maccabi Tel Aviv team until 2005. He got an offer from Union Olimpija
in Ljubljana
and emerged as a star in the 2005–06 season, winning the Slovenian League three-point competition and putting up big numbers for Olimpija both in the Slovenian League
and in the Euroleague
.
He won the Slovenian National Cup and the Slovenian Championship with Union Olimpija
after completing the final series in the Slovenian playoffs (3–2 in the final over Geoplin Slovan
).
Halperin was projected to be the first Israeli in the NBA
. His 2006 NBA Draft
placement (53rd overall) was not enough to secure him a guaranteed NBA contract, so he opted to return to Israel. There, he spent the 2006–07 season with Maccabi Tel Aviv and underachieved that season. In the 2007–08 season he led Maccabi Tel Aviv to the Final of the Euroleague
Final Four in Madrid
and earned an All-Euroleague Second Team selection.
On June 15, 2008, Halperin signed a 3 year, 3 million euro deal with Olympiacos Piraeus, where he joined his former Maccabi teammate Nikola Vujčić
. In 2011 he left Olympiacos Piraeus and on July 25, 2011, Halperin signed a two-year contract with BC Spartak Saint Petersburg.
s, the EuroBasket 2003
, the EuroBasket 2005
, the EuroBasket 2007
, the EuroBasket 2009
.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i professional basketball player. He is a 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) tall combo guard.
Halperin, who is Jewish, was born and raised in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
and was the basketball star of Metrowest High School in Ra'anana
Ra'anana
Ra'anana is a city in the heart of the southern Sharon Plain of the Central District of Israel with a population of 68,300, . Ra'anana is bordered by Kfar Sava on the east and Herzliya on the southwest...
. He declared himself eligible for the 2006 NBA Draft
2006 NBA Draft
The 2006 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 2006 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players,...
, and the Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
(Now Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ; their home court is at Chesapeake Energy Arena....
) selected him in the second round, with the 53rd overall pick. He is currently plays for BC Spartak Saint Petersburg in Russia.
Pro career
Halperin played in the Maccabi Tel Aviv juniors since he was 8 years old. After finishing high school Halperin had a tough time fitting in with the senior club Maccabi Tel Aviv, since the team had so many star players, such as Ariel McDonaldAriel McDonald
Ariel Rene McDonald is an American-Slovenian basketball player, playing the point guard position for the Italian club Montepaschi Siena...
and Anthony Parker
Anthony Parker
Anthony Michael Parker is an American professional basketball player who last played with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association . After graduating from Bradley University with a major in liberal arts, he entered the 1997 NBA Draft and played briefly in the NBA before...
.
Halperin sat on the bench for the Maccabi Tel Aviv team until 2005. He got an offer from Union Olimpija
KK Union Olimpija
-Depth Chart:-In: Ben Woodside Deon Thompson Aleksandar Ćapin Jaka Blažič Danny Green Ratko Varda Robert Rothbart -Out: Giorgi Shermadini - return from a loan Kenny Gregory Samo Udrih Aloysius Anagonye Vladimir...
in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
and emerged as a star in the 2005–06 season, winning the Slovenian League three-point competition and putting up big numbers for Olimpija both in the Slovenian League
Premier A Slovenian Basketball League
The Premier A Slovenian Basketball League , abbreviated as 1. A SKL and known for sponsorship reasons as the Telemach League , is the top-level professional men's basketball league in Slovenia...
and in the Euroleague
Euroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
.
He won the Slovenian National Cup and the Slovenian Championship with Union Olimpija
KK Union Olimpija
-Depth Chart:-In: Ben Woodside Deon Thompson Aleksandar Ćapin Jaka Blažič Danny Green Ratko Varda Robert Rothbart -Out: Giorgi Shermadini - return from a loan Kenny Gregory Samo Udrih Aloysius Anagonye Vladimir...
after completing the final series in the Slovenian playoffs (3–2 in the final over Geoplin Slovan
KD Slovan
KK Geoplin Slovan or KD Slovan is a professional basketball team from Slovenia.-History:A beginning of the club is dating back to 1951 when Stane Urek suggested a formation of a basketball club Poljane at one of Ljubljana high schools. The club got its official right to play in April same year...
).
Halperin was projected to be the first Israeli in the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
. His 2006 NBA Draft
2006 NBA Draft
The 2006 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 2006 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players,...
placement (53rd overall) was not enough to secure him a guaranteed NBA contract, so he opted to return to Israel. There, he spent the 2006–07 season with Maccabi Tel Aviv and underachieved that season. In the 2007–08 season he led Maccabi Tel Aviv to the Final of the Euroleague
Euroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
Final Four in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and earned an All-Euroleague Second Team selection.
On June 15, 2008, Halperin signed a 3 year, 3 million euro deal with Olympiacos Piraeus, where he joined his former Maccabi teammate Nikola Vujčić
Nikola Vujcic
Nikola Vujčić is a Croatian professional basketball player. He is 2.11 m tall. He can play at both the center and power forward positions. He last played for Efes Pilsen SK for the 2010–11 season.-Player profile:...
. In 2011 he left Olympiacos Piraeus and on July 25, 2011, Halperin signed a two-year contract with BC Spartak Saint Petersburg.
Israeli national team
Halperin has also been a member of the senior Israeli national basketball team. He has played at 4 EuroBasketEurobasket
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...
s, the EuroBasket 2003
Eurobasket 2003
-5th to 8th place:-Awards:-All-Tournament Team : Tony Parker Šarūnas Jasikevičius Saulius Štombergas Andrei Kirilenko Pau Gasol-Top scorers :# Pau Gasol 25.8# Andrei Kirilenko 23.1# Dirk Nowitzki 22.5# Mehmet Okur 18.7...
, the EuroBasket 2005
Eurobasket 2005
The EuroBasket 2005 was held in Serbia and Montenegro between 16 September and 25 September 2005. Greece won the gold medal by defeating Germany, while France won the bronze medal over Spain...
, the EuroBasket 2007
Eurobasket 2007
-Group B:-Group C:-Group D:-Second round:- Group E :- Group F :-Championship bracket:- Quarterfinals :-Classification rounds:- Semifinals :- Third place game:- Final :...
, the EuroBasket 2009
EuroBasket 2009
The EuroBasket 2009 was the 36th EuroBasket, the biennial regional basketball championship contested by European nations and held by FIBA Europe. The tournament, which was hosted by Poland, began on 7 September 2009 and concluded with the final on 20 September 2009...
.
See also
- List of select Jewish basketball players