Gal Mekel

Accounts differ on Mekel’s place of origin: one report describes him as a native of Ramat Hasharon, while another calls him a Petah Tikvah native.[1][4] In an interview, Mekel said his grandparents escaped the Holocaust and came to Israel from Poland, and that his family’s Zionism and pride in Israel strongly shaped his upbringing.[1]

Mekel attended Wichita State University in Kansas from 2006 to 2008. He said he chose college basketball as an intermediate step between junior and professional play, visiting several U.S. universities during 12th grade before deciding Wichita State was the right fit after meeting its coach and considering the team’s recent Sweet 16 appearance.[1][5]

The transition proved challenging. Mekel recalled that he was physically underdeveloped and had to improve his athleticism and defense while adjusting to life as a foreign student. He also described the support of a Jewish family in the United States, saying they “adopted me and are still a family to me,” and emphasized the importance of relationships he formed there beyond basketball.[1]

After two seasons at Wichita State, Mekel said he did not feel ready for the NBA and returned to Israel to sign with Maccabi Tel Aviv.[1] Ynet reported that he signed in March 2008; he later moved to Hapoel Gilboa/Galil in search of more playing time.[5][6] Over three seasons with Gilboa/Galil, he played 65 regular-season games and averaged 9.1 points and 4.3 assists per game.[5]

Mekel won the Israeli league title with Gilboa/Galil in 2010, the first championship in the club’s history.[1][7] He received his first Israeli Super League Most Valuable Player award in 2011.[4] He then played for Italy’s Benetton Treviso, appearing in 22 games during the previous season and averaging 6.3 points and 3.7 assists per game. After being a free agent since the start of the season, he joined Maccabi Haifa during the 2012–13 campaign.[5]

At Haifa, Mekel won his second league MVP award and helped the club claim the 2013 championship.[4][8] In the final, Haifa defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv 86–79 for the first league title in the club’s history; Mekel scored 21 points and recorded seven assists. He averaged 13.1 points, 6.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds during the postseason and was named MVP.[9]

Mekel signed with the Dallas Mavericks on July 11, 2013, and made his NBA debut on October 30. He became the second Israeli to play in the league, after Omri Casspi.[1] In his rookie season, he appeared in 31 Dallas games and averaged 2.4 points and 2.0 assists per game; a midseason account recorded 30 appearances, 9.6 minutes, 2.4 points and 2.1 assists per game at that point.[1][6] He signed a guaranteed three-year contract worth $2.25 million. Mekel recalled the excitement of playing alongside stars he had watched on television and later called his NBA experience his “biggest accomplishment.”[1][6]

His adjustment to the NBA involved adapting to the league’s speed, athleticism, scouting and attention to detail. During his rookie season he underwent knee surgery and faced the possibility of being sent to the development league.[6] After Dallas waived him, the New Orleans Pelicans signed him to a two-year contract in December 2014. He appeared in four games, averaging 1.5 points and 3.3 assists, before being released; the contract allowed the team to release him without compensation before January 10, 2015.[10]

Mekel continued his career with clubs in Israel and abroad, including Nizhny Novgorod, Crvena Zvezda, Gran Canaria, Zenit St. Petersburg and Málaga.[7][11] He also returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv during his career.[3] His honors included two Israeli league MVP awards, two Israeli championships, two State Cups with Maccabi Tel Aviv, and selection to the league’s all-league team.[7][8] The Jewish Virtual Library’s NBA statistics table lists him as a point guard and gives career averages of 2.3 points, 0.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.[12]

Mekel represented Israel for more than a decade, played in four EuroBasket tournaments and served as captain of the national team under coach Oded Katash.[1] He described playing for Israel as a dream and said that becoming captain was especially meaningful to him. In 2021, he was reported to have helped lead the team to qualification for the 2022 European Championship.[1]

Mekel later characterized Israel’s 2022 European Championship campaign as a major disappointment. In a December 2022 interview, he said his decision to retire was not driven by the availability or attractiveness of club offers, but by the physical toll of continuing to play at his accustomed level. He described the required upkeep as draining and said his body had developed unfamiliar problems over the preceding two years. He announced his retirement in late 2022 after EuroBasket 2022.[3]

Mekel’s career milestones included becoming the second Israeli to play in the NBA, winning two Israeli league championships and serving as captain of the national team after representing Israel for more than a decade.[1][7]

In 2023, Mekel joined Hapoel Jerusalem as a basketball consultant, minority shareholder and representative of owner Matan Adelson. He said he had never had the opportunity to play for the club and was pleased to join it in a non-playing role.[2][11]

Mekel said he hoped to use experience gained in the NBA, EuroLeague and different countries and cultures to help build a first-rate organization. He identified basketball operations, medicine, business, marketing, and the experiences of players and fans as areas in which the club could develop.[11]

In 2026, Mekel described club initiatives that included free attendance at Pais Arena for children under 10, wheelchair basketball, support for soldiers with PTSD, and school anti-bullying programs. He presented the children’s attendance initiative as part of building a new generation of fans.[13]