2023–24 Israeli Basketball Premier League

The 2023–24 Premier League was planned as a 13-team competition, with the preseason format calling for one team to be relegated to the National League and two clubs to be promoted, bringing the league to 14 teams in 2024–25.[1] FIBA had already canceled the November national-team window, leaving only a February window.[1] A published fixture schedule listed the opening round for October 6–9, 2023, with marquee matchups including Hapoel Jerusalem vs. Hapoel Holon in round two and the Tel Aviv derby in round five.[2]

The season was intended to run a two-round regular season followed by a division into upper and lower groups. Under the format discussed in mid-season planning, the bottom three teams — places 11 through 13 — would enter a lower group after two rounds, carrying over their regular-season records and playing two home and two away games, with the last-placed team ultimately relegated.[3]

The season opened on October 6 with a single game: Ironi Ness Ziona defeated Hapoel Afula.[4] The remaining first-round games were postponed following the outbreak of war the next day, and on October 9 the league announced that the second round, scheduled for October 13–16, would also be suspended.[4]

League chairman Ari Steinberg later recalled that the country was upended on the day after the season's first game and said a proposal to move the league to Cyprus could not proceed because of security considerations.[5] Officials also examined staging several rounds in Cyprus or Bulgaria, but reported substantial logistical difficulties.[6] A league-management board member said at the time, "To create an unsporting league just to create one makes no sense."[6] Fifteen days after play stopped, management was targeting a restart around November 11.[6]

Concerns quickly emerged about competitive fairness: clubs would not compete on equal terms if some had their foreign players available and others did not.[6] Those concerns were well-founded — when play eventually resumed in early December, Hapoel Jerusalem faced a roster shortage because its seven foreign players and Serbian coach Aleksandar Džikić remained in Belgrade due to safety concerns, leaving the club without its imports for two domestic games.[7] Foreign players at other clubs had also departed, including Hapoel Holon forward Amine Noua.[7]

Security authorities approved the return of games subject to a cap of 1,000 people in arenas — combining players, fans and media.[7] In November, the league planned a restart around November 25, contingent on Home Front Command approval, and Hapoel Galil Elyon's request to freeze relegation was rejected.[3] The war also displaced European competition: Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hapoel Jerusalem and Hapoel Tel Aviv played their continental home games in Belgrade, while Hapoel Holon relocated its European home games to Riga.[8]

In January 2024, league management confirmed it would maintain the two-round format followed by an upper-lower group split.[9] Because so many first-round games had been postponed during the war, management planned to complete them by early March, even though some second-round games had already been played.[9] League officials also decided that no league games would be held during the February national-team break, following objections from clubs concerned about playing without players on international duty.[9]

Management additionally requested that the Basketball Association include all league teams in the State Cup, with the top three clubs after the first round entering the quarterfinals directly, while those in places 4 through 13 would play in the round of 16.[9] Reports from January also noted that domestic competition had been uneven due to teams carrying different numbers of foreign players, and calls to freeze relegation had not been accepted.[8]

The quarterfinals were contested as best-of-five series, and the round produced a historic result: for the first time in Israeli Premier League Basketball history, all four quarterfinal series ended in 3–0 sweeps.[10] Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hapoel Jerusalem, Ironi Kiryat Ata and Hapoel Tel Aviv all advanced to the semifinals.[10]

Maccabi Tel Aviv completed its sweep of Ness Ziona with a 105–64 victory, and Hapoel Jerusalem eliminated Hapoel Holon 93–75.[10] Hapoel Tel Aviv swept Hapoel Haifa, winning the reported game 83–65.[10] The most dramatic finish came when Ironi Kiryat Ata edged Maccabi Ramat Gan 74–72 in overtime to complete its sweep; the game was tied 65–65 at the end of regulation before Akia Pruitt hit the decisive three-pointer.[10]

Kiryat Ata coach Sharon Avrahami said his team had operated on the league's smallest budget and had played with only three import players for most of the season. "For most of the season we played with only three import players. I'm so proud of everyone. Every game it was someone else who stepped up," Avrahami said.[10] The quarterfinal run set up a semifinal meeting between Kiryat Ata and Hapoel Tel Aviv.[10]

The semifinals were best-of-three series. Maccabi Tel Aviv swept Hapoel Jerusalem 2–0, clinching the series with an 82–73 win in which Roman Sorkin scored 20 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, while Bonzie Colson contributed 15 points.[11]

The other semifinal between Hapoel Tel Aviv and Ironi Kiryat Ata went the distance.[11][12] Hapoel Tel Aviv leveled the series at 1–1 with a 70–62 victory, with Tyler Ennis scoring 17 points.[11] It subsequently advanced to the final against Maccabi.[12]

Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv contested an all-Tel Aviv best-of-three final. Hapoel Tel Aviv won Game 2 by 85–67 at the Drive-In Arena to level the series 1–1 and force a decisive third game.[12]

Game 3 was played on June 17, 2024, at Yad Eliyahu.[13] The tip-off was delayed by 30 minutes after Hapoel supporters clashed with police outside the arena amid a dispute over supporters bringing in cheering equipment and large flags.[13] Once play began, the game was halted multiple times in the second half: Hapoel supporters lit more than a dozen flares, several of which were thrown toward a section of Maccabi fans, and the fire department was called to deal with fires in the stands.[14] Objects were also thrown from the Maccabi stands toward Hapoel's bench, causing a second stoppage.[13]

On the court, Hapoel held leads through much of the first three quarters, entering the fourth quarter ahead 55–54.[13] Maccabi then produced an 11–0 run in the final period and built a double-digit lead, eventually winning 82–74.[13] Roman Sorkin led Maccabi with 19 points and nine rebounds and was named game MVP; Jasiel Rivero added 16 points.[14][13] Tyler Ennis led Hapoel with 17 points.[14]

The victory gave Maccabi Tel Aviv its 57th Israeli league title, its second consecutive championship and its sixth in seven years.[13] Hapoel Tel Aviv had not won a league championship since 1969.[13] Reflecting on the win amid wartime, Sorkin said: "Sports are really nothing compared to what the nation and the hostages are experiencing."[14]

At the league's end-of-season awards event, Roman Sorkin received both the league MVP award and the Israeli Player of the Season honor, and was named to the first all-star team.[5] Sharon Avrahami of Ironi Kiryat Ata was named Coach of the Season.[5]

The first-team all-stars also included Hapoel Tel Aviv's Tomer Ginat, Hapoel Galil Elyon's Roi Huber, Hapoel Jerusalem's Levi Randolph and Kiryat Ata's Amin Stevens.[5] League chairman Ari Steinberg said at the ceremony that the league had made it through a very tough season and reached its conclusion with competitive games.[5]

The 2023–24 campaign was described as one of the most complicated and difficult seasons in Israeli basketball history.[13] The war produced congested scheduling, displaced clubs from home arenas, contributed to player and coach departures, and caused financial damage across the league.[8][13] Despite early proposals to stage several rounds in Cyprus or Bulgaria, the league resumed play in Israel under crowd limits.[7][6] Its calendar had to absorb postponed first-round games, while unequal access to foreign players remained a persistent concern.[6][9]

The unprecedented quarterfinal outcome and the disorder surrounding the deciding final helped distinguish the season from earlier campaigns.[10][14] Maccabi Tel Aviv's title was secured amid the war, and Sorkin framed the achievement against the larger national context, saying that sport was secondary to the experiences of the country and the hostages.[14]