{"id":12622,"date":"2014-02-21T13:54:17","date_gmt":"2014-02-21T19:54:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=12622"},"modified":"2014-02-21T16:57:57","modified_gmt":"2014-02-21T22:57:57","slug":"mr-basketball-puts-israel-on-the-map","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/mr-basketball-puts-israel-on-the-map\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Mr. Basketball&#8217; puts Israel on the map"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By ALAN SMASON, Exclusive to the CCJN<\/p>\n<p>While some refer to him as \u201cMr. Basketball,\u201d Tal Brody is frankly more insistent that he should rather be known as \u201cthe man who put Israel on the map.\u201d The map he refers to is not only one found on an atlas or a globe, but moreover one found in the hearts and consciences of sports enthusiasts worldwide.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_12656\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_1581.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12656\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12656 lazyload\" title=\"Brody_Tal\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_1581-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_1581-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_1581-768x1024.jpg 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 225px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 225\/300;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12656\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12656 \" title=\"Brody_Tal\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_1581-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_1581-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_1581-768x1024.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-12656\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Basketball legend Tal Brody, the man who put Israel on the map and gave up an NBA career. (Photo by Alan Smason)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Brody, a professional basketball player for Israel and a Maccabi Games and Goodwill ambassador, journeyed to New Orleans last week as part of the National Basketball Association&#8217;s (NBA) All-Star Game festivities. The very personable 70-year-old is an American-born Israeli, who was a standout member of the 1977 Israeli national team that bested the Soviet Union&#8217;s CSKA-Moscow team made up of Red Army regulars during the European Cup Basketball Championship.<\/p>\n<p>At that juncture, the heavily favored Soviet team were reigning champs and had not lost a game in over four years. Diplomatically, they did not recognize the State of Israel and, in fact, were supportive of Israel&#8217;s avowed enemies. This latter-day David versus Goliath match played in neutral Belgium was won by the Maccabi Tel Aviv team 91-79, leading the way for Israel to enter the European Cup finals for only the second time.<\/p>\n<p>Brody was carried off the field by excited teammates. His heartfelt remarks right after that unexpected victory \u2013&#8221;<em>We are on the map! And we are staying on the map \u2013 not only in sports, but in everything.<\/em>&#8221; \u2013 galvanized Israelis and Israel supporters around the world.<\/p>\n<p>Years later Brody would help lead his team to an unbelievable five times as champions of the European Basketball Cup, reaching the finals 13 times.<\/p>\n<p>For Brody, the opportunity to play basketball for Israel meant giving up an NBA career that would, no doubt, brought him much fame and wealth had he elected to stay in his native home.<\/p>\n<p>But Brody&#8217;s roots extended to Israel through his grandfather and father, who both lived under the British Mandate of Palestine during the 1920s and 1930s. Even today, when he is asked by students about how he feels about the Palestinians, Brody asks &#8220;Which ones? The <em>Jewish<\/em> ones or the <em>Arab<\/em> ones?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Born in Trenton, NJ, Brody started to play basketball at the local Jewish Community Center on Stockton Street. The facilities were spare to say the least, he recalled. &#8220;At half court, if you took a shot, you always hit the ceiling.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He led Trenton Central High School to an undefeated 24-0 season, beating Camden in the finals in Rutgers to win the New Jersey state basketball championship and was named to the first team All-State Team that year.<\/p>\n<p>Despite scholarship offers from more than two score colleges, Brody elected to attend the University of Illinois, eventually helping his team win the Big Ten championship and secure a number three ranking at the conclusion of the season. Brody was named an All-American in 1965 along with his longtime friends Bill Bradley and Rick Barry.<\/p>\n<p>Following graduation, he was picked overall 12th in the NBA draft. The Baltimore Bullets (now the Washington Wizards) expected he would be on their roster, but Brody asked for permission to journey for the first time to Israel in August of that year to participate in his first Maccabi Games as a member of the United States delegation.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_12658\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_1579.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12658\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12658 lazyload\" title=\"Brody_court\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_1579-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_1579-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_1579-768x1024.jpg 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 225px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 225\/300;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12658\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12658 \" title=\"Brody_court\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_1579-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_1579-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_1579-768x1024.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-12658\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Familiar surroundings for Tal Brody at the Metairie JCC with a basketball in his hands. (Photo by Alan Smason)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Brody and his teammates captured the gold medal that year. But for the youngster whose Judaism was always part of his makeup, to play against teams of Jews in a country intended to be a Jewish homeland was revelatory to him.<\/p>\n<p>Eschewing his NBA career, Brody left to embark on a career in Israel as a member of an Israeli Maccabi team and, following the Six Day War, elected to stay on longer than his expected one-year commitment.<\/p>\n<p>Brody was forever changed in his outlook towards Israel. He was named the Sportsman of the Year in Israel for 1967 and stayed in Tel Aviv until 1969, when it was time for him to begin his military service in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>The Army made use of Brody&#8217;s talents on the court and he was named to the United States Armed Forces All-Star Teams, eventually playing as a starting guard for the U. S. Men&#8217;s National Basketball Team with NBA great Bill Walton.<\/p>\n<p>Following an entreaty from Defense Minister Moshe Dayan, Brody returned to Israel, but this time as an <em>olim<\/em>. He made aliyah in 1970 and enlisted in the Israel Defense Force in order to serve his commitment to the state. During his tenure for the next decade, the Maccabi Tel Aviv team won ten Israeli championships and six Israel State Cups.<\/p>\n<p>Brody is a national hero, but his greatest thrill is having made Israel a legitimate contender on the world sports stage. And it brought smiles to faces of Israelis.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Winning those five championships has picked up the country and encouraged other athletes that we can do it,&#8221; he said. He credits the achievements in basketball as having inspired others to earn Olympic medals in Judo and windsurfing.<\/p>\n<p>Brody was given the prestigious honor and was the youngest recipient ever of the Israel Prize, an achievement he is still proud of today.<\/p>\n<p>These days, a retired Brody works in concert with the Jewish National Fund to emphasize the importance of the Maccabi Games and to engage with the NBA during special events such as the All-Star Game last week.<\/p>\n<p>As an ambassador, he frequently meets with NBA commissioner David Stern and NBA Retired Players Association CEO and former New Orleans City Councilmember-at-large Arnie Fielkow.<\/p>\n<p>After his first marriage failed, Brody remarried and has been happy ever since with one child from his first marriage and two from his second.<\/p>\n<p>So, the question was posed: knowing what he gave up to pass up the NBA for an Israeli career, would he have done things differently?<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If I didn&#8217;t know what I went though in all those 47 years in Israel, I would stay with the NBA decision,&#8221; he mused. &#8220;But knowing and experiencing what I went through all those 47 years and, of course, being married with six grandchildren, I would take that decision, because it&#8217;s been a beautiful ride.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The smile on Brody&#8217;s face answered any lingering doubts.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"Tumblr\",\"Email\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"%27Mr.%20Basketball%27%20puts%20Israel%20on%20the%20map%20\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12656,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[8790,5037,445,4962],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12622"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12622"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12622\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12660,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12622\/revisions\/12660"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}