The Israeli Basketball Association

The Israel Basketball Association

The Basketball Association is the superordinate body concentrating all the basketball activity in Israel by virtue of the Sports Law. 

The Association runs all the Leagues in Israel (under the Association, two independent leagues were created: Men's Super League and Women's Super League), and it likewise takes care of all Israeli teams, the registration of all the teams in the various leagues, the players, the coaches and so forth. 

Operating under the Basketball Association are the disciplinary committees and the Supreme Tribunal, along with the Association of Referees, who has gained full professional independence. 

The Basketball Association was founded in August 1966, and it had operated earlier under the name of the Basketball Committee, whereby it used to be run under the supervision of the Israel Sports Federation. 

The Basketball Association belongs to FIBA, the body managing global basketball, under which operates FIBA Europe, which runs the games in Europe. 

Registered, as of today, in the Basketball Association are about 2,360 teams with about 35,000 female and male players, in about 240 leagues across the country, and this in all ages, ranging from young children to female and male adults. 

Beyond leagues, the Association operates the Israel Cups for male and female adults, children, girls, boys and older girls, as well as the Federation Cups for Women and Men in the lower leagues.

The Basketball Association hosted in Israel  quite a few international events, including the Europe Championship for Women 1991, the Europe Championship for players up to the age of 18 in the year 1994, the Europe Championship –  Category B for those up to the age of 18 in 2010, Eurobasket 2017 for men, the Europe Championship – Category B for women up to the age 20 in 2017, the Europe Championship  – Category A for players up to the age of 20 –  in 2019.

Israeli Teams

The Basketball Association concurrently operates 8 national teams, consisting of men and women, adults, reserve, youth and cadets.

Additionally, the Association operates 4 national 3×3 teams for female and male adults, as well as for girls and youth up to the age of 18.

The Men's Team

It figured 29 times in the Europe Championship, and reached its summit in the year 1979, when it ranked in second place and won the silver medal. The team also figured twice in the World Cup (1954, 1986), and once in the Olympic Games (1952). Likewise, the teamed figured 3 times in the Asian Games (1966, 1970, 1974), and won in those two gold medals and one silver medal. 

The Women's Team

It figured 6 times in the Europe Championship (1950, 1991, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011). 

Achievements:

• The Israeli Reserve Team won twice (2019, 2020) ranking in first place in the Europe Championship, and another 3 times ranked in second place (2000, 2004, 2018).
• The Youth Team won once, ranking in first place in the Europe Championship –  Category B (2020).
• The Cadet Team won twice the bronze medal in the Europe Championship –  Category B (2014). 

Projects:

• The Negev-Basket Project, whose goal is to increase the number of players in the Negev Region. 
• The Arab Sector Project  –  For improving the basketball level among girls and women in the Arab sector.
• The Excellence Academy for Women at the Wingate Institute
• Excellence Centers all across the country, for boys and girls.

Heads of the Association: