Maccabi Tel Aviv

Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. was formed back in 1932 and it was part of the Maccabi Tel Aviv Sports Club, which was founded in 1906. The club has been one of the leading basketball teams in Europe with a reputation and trophy haul that is the pride, and envy, of Israel and Europe.

With over 50 domestic league titles, over 40 domestic cups and 6 triumphs in the leading basketball tournament in Europe, Maccabi Tel Aviv is the club that many Israeli sports teams, and European basketball teams, aspire to be.

Arena

The club plays their home games in the Menora Mivtachim Arena, an indoor multi-purpose arena located in the southern section of Tel Aviv. The arena has a capacity of 11,700.

Domestic League and Cup results

The Israeli basketball league was founded in 1954 and in that time (barring one season when the league was cancelled due to war), 7 teams have won the title. However, five of these teams have only won one title each and one team has won 5 titles. The rest of the titles, an astonishing 51 out of 61 domestic league titles, have been won by Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The club won in 1954 and in 1955 with there being no league season in 1956 due to war. The club then won it in 1957, 1958 and in 1959 before a break where they won it again in 1962, 1963 and in 1964. They enjoyed success again in 1967 and 1968 but it is the period between 1970 and 1992 that the lengthiest period of dominance took place. The Maccabi Tel Aviv stranglehold on the Israeli league was broken in 1993 but the club bounced back to win it from 1994 to 2007. Further triumphs have occurred in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2014.

Maccabi Tel Aviv has also won the Israeli Cup 42 times since it was first played for in the 1955/56 season.

While some people will downplay the dominance of Maccabi Tel Aviv in domestic basketball, they have managed to show that they are one of the leading teams in Europe, reaching the final of the European Cup/Euroleague on 15 occasions. With 6 triumphs, Maccabi Tel Aviv are the second most successful team in this tournament and their triumphs in this tournament have been enjoyed and celebrated across Israel, not just Tel Aviv.

The six wins for Maccabi Tel Aviv came in:

• 1976/77 – A 78-77 win over Varese from Italy
• 1980/81 – An 80-79 win over Virtus Bologna from Italy
• 2000/01 – An 81-67 win over Panathinaikos from Greence
• 2003/04 – An 118-74 win over Fortitudo Bologna from Italy
• 2004/05 – A 90-78 win over Baskonia from Spain
• 2013/14 – A 98-86 (OT) over Real Madrid from Spain

The club has also won the FIBA Intercontinental Cup once, in 1980, when they topped the league format, pipping Franca from Brazil. In the 2014 FIBA Intercontinental Cup final, Maccabi Tel Aviv lost 156-146 over two legs to Flamenco from Brazil, the individual legs scoring 66-69 / 90-77.

The club has also received wildcard entry to the Adriatic League on occasions and they won this league in 2011/12.

While the Triple Crown is an unofficial accolade, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv are the leading club in the world of basketball with respect to this title. The Triple Crown is when a team wins their domestic league, their domestic cup and the European Cup or Euroleague. Every time Maccabi Tel Aviv have won the top prize in European basketball, they have also managed to clinch an Israeli league and cup double. Real Madrid are the next ranked team with 3 Triple Crowns, which is half of the 6 Triple Crowns that Maccabi Tel Aviv have enjoyed.

Record versus NBA teams

Given that Maccabi Tel Aviv have shown that they are one of the best basketball teams in Europe, it is understandable that they have been asked to take on teams from NBA over the years. The first time Maccabi Tel Aviv took on a NBA opponent came in September of 1978 and there was a shock in Tel Aviv with the home team winning the game. The 98-97 win over the Washington Bullets was the first time that a team classed as a European side had defeated a NBA team. Maccabi would have a run of success in Tel Aviv against NBA teams, defeating the New Jersey Nets in 1984 by a score of 104-97 and the Phoenix Suns a day later by a score of 113-98.

It wasn’t until Maccabi’s fourth game against a NBA team that they tasted defeat, the Philadelphia 76ers winning in Tel Aviv in October of 1988 by a score of 107-108. In 1989, Maccabi Tel Aviv travelled to the USA for the first time, losing to the Miami Heat by a score of 101-95. A string of defeats on North American soil took place until the 16^th of October 2005 when Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated the Toronto Raptors, in Toronto by a score of 103-105. This was the first time a European basketball team had defeated a NBA team in North America.

As of 2015, Maccabi’s record against NBA teams stands at 4-16.

Notable players

Given that Maccabi Tel Aviv are often judged on their performance in Europe as opposed to their domestic league duties, it can be worthwhile to look at their top scorers in the Euroleague. The top scorer for the team, with 3,588 points is Miki Berkovich while Doron Jamchi is second with 3,262 points. Kevin Magee is the top non-Israeli scorer with 2,081 points and he is followed by a raft of US players. Aulcie Perry has grabbed 2,077 points, Lou Silver offered up 1,999 points and Anthony Parker has provided 1,804 points. Derrick Sharp has provided 1,734 points and the Croatian player Nikola Vujčić has scored 1,730 points. Israeli Nadav Henefeld has provided 1,519 points and Jim Boatwright has scored 1,481 points in the Euroleague for Maccabi Tel Aviv.

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