Itay Segev

Segev grew up in Kfar Tavor in the Galilee and began playing basketball because of his brother.[2] His youth development included the Hapoel Emek Izrael youth department and the basketball academy at the Wingate Institute, before he moved to Maccabi Tel Aviv.[2]

As a young player, Segev played guard rather than center.[2] He later explained his shift toward playing center as a decision about where he could make the greatest impact, rather than simply continuing in his original position.[2]

Segev joined Maccabi Tel Aviv’s senior squad in the 2012/13 season under coach David Blatt, having signed a long-term contract with the club in 2012.[2][5] After loan spells at Hapoel Holon and Hapoel Gilboa/Galil, he returned to Maccabi in 2015 and won the Israeli league’s Most Improved Player award for the 2015/16 season.[2][6]

In summer 2017, Maccabi appointed Segev captain, an experience he later likened to fulfilling a childhood dream.[2] His playing time diminished under coach Neven Spahija, and midway through the season he asked to leave.[2] The club removed him from the captaincy but did not release him, and he finished the season with Maccabi.[6] Reflecting on that period, Segev said he might not have been ready for the responsibility or the circumstances surrounding the appointment.[2]

During the playoffs of his final Maccabi season, Segev was named MVP in Game 1 against Ironi Ness Ziona, when he also achieved a career high in points.[7] His playoff averages were 4.8 points and 4 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per game.[7] He subsequently agreed to join Maccabi Rishon LeZion for 2018/19, with an option for 2019/20.[7]

At Rishon LeZion, Segev averaged 7.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, before recording averages of 8.8 points and 6.6 rebounds at Ironi Nahariya.[6] He helped both clubs reach the State Cup final and the league Final Four.[2] Rishon LeZion lost the 2019 cup final to Hapoel Jerusalem, and the following year Segev reached the final again with Nahariya.[5]

Nahariya’s 2020 appearance was its first State Cup final and Segev’s fifth consecutive final.[5] In an interview before the game, he emphasized that the team wanted to win the cup rather than regard reaching the final as sufficient, saying, “The main stage is winning titles, and you can achieve that with any team.”[5] The interview described him as a 24-year-old forward standing 2.04 meters tall.[5]

Segev also connected Nahariya’s cup run to the city’s experience of a difficult period, including a flood disaster in which Moti Ben-Shabbat was killed and the murder of Avi Tzitzuaishvili.[5] He said the team hoped to make residents happy and restore pride to the north.[5]

Segev subsequently moved to the French club Gravelines, where an early injury kept him out for half a year.[2] He said the interruption made it difficult to return to the level he wanted to reach.[2] His averages at Gravelines were 4 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.[6] By January 2022, he had returned to Israel to play for Hapoel Jerusalem after the injury-affected season in France.[2]

As Jerusalem’s captain, Segev lifted the State Cup in 2023 after a 67–61 victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv in the final.[1][8] He described the occasion as his first time lifting a trophy with Jerusalem as captain and expressed hope for more such successes.[8] In his assessment of the final, Jerusalem had relied on its strengths, defended, and battled an opponent he considered more talented.[8]

Later in 2023, Segev captained Jerusalem as it prepared to face Bonn in the Basketball Champions League final.[6] At that point in the season, he averaged 4.8 points and 4.4 rebounds, while the team valued contributions that did not always appear in the statistics.[6] He attributed his greater steadiness partly to feeling calmer and to the way coach Aleksandar Džikić used and managed him.[6]

After Jerusalem, Segev played two seasons for Ironi Ness Ziona.[1] In 2024/25, he appeared in 24 games, started 19, and averaged 7.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.[1] In June 2025, Hapoel Tel Aviv announced his signing ahead of its first EuroLeague season.[1] Segev said he was proud to join and intended to work hard for the team; coach Dimitris Itoudis praised his passion and commitment, while sporting director George Hinas emphasized his daily intensity on both ends of the court.[1]

The move meant leaving a substantial role and guaranteed minutes at Ness Ziona for an opportunity to compete at a higher level and pursue a championship.[4] Segev described experience and leadership as qualities he sought to contribute alongside defense and rebounding.[4] In 2025, he was also working toward a master’s degree in business administration and considering future work with children through basketball.[4]

Segev’s national-team career included regular participation in the qualifying campaigns for EuroBasket 2022 and the 2023 World Cup, although by January 2022 he had not yet played in an official FIBA international tournament.[2] He made his European championship debut with Israel at EuroBasket 2025.[9] Before the tournament, he said Israel aimed to play aggressively, control rebounds, maintain a quick tempo, and remain positive.[9]

Ahead of Israel’s opening game against Iceland, Segev characterized the tournament as a succession of high-stakes games and said the team could advance further than expected.[10] He said the players represented Israel and the Jewish people while emphasizing that their role at the tournament was to play basketball.[10] Israel advanced from the group stage to the round of 16, where it lost to Greece; Segev appeared in three of the team’s six games.[3]

By age 27, Segev had played for seven teams, captained Maccabi Tel Aviv, and won seven domestic titles.[6] His later State Cup success as Hapoel Jerusalem captain added a trophy-lifting role at another club to his record.[1] His career has also included helping Rishon LeZion and Nahariya reach cup finals and league Final Fours, alongside appearances in French club basketball and with Israel’s national team.[2][3]

Segev has defined his playing priorities around defense and rebounding, explaining that his presence on the court is first and foremost for defensive work.[4] At Jerusalem, the recognition of his contributions beyond the statistics and his own account of becoming steadier under Džikić highlighted a role not captured solely by scoring averages.[6] His stated interest in working with children through basketball points to a possible continuation of his involvement in the sport beyond playing.[4]