An NBA First!

Omri Casspi has become the first Israeli basketball player to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft.  Casspi was drafted #23 by the Sacramento Kings, which also feature players from Spain (Sergio Rodriguez), Argentina (Andres Nocioni), and Slovenia (Beno Udrih).

Basketball fans know that Casspi’s Israeli team, Maccabi Tel Aviv, is one of the world’s best.  The team has won 48 Israeli National Championships — including an incredible 23 straight between 1970 and 1992 — and has won the European Cup five times since 1977.

Three Israelis have been selected in the second round of the NBA draft, but none ever played in the league.  So when Casspi sets foot on an NBA floor, that will be a first, as well.

Congrats to Casspi and to Israeli basketball.