Maccabi Ra'anana

Maccabi Ra'anana's modern record includes top-division contention around the turn of the century, a 2002 merger into Bnei Hasharon, and restoration as an independent club in 2012.[1] Its youth program won its first championship in 2013, while the senior side returned to the top division for 2025/26 before dropping back to the National League.[1][2]

Maccabi Ra'anana competed in Israel’s top basketball league from 1995/96 through 2001/02 and was often near the top of the domestic game while also competing in Europe.[1] Its best league result during that period came in 2000, when it reached the playoff final and lost the series to Maccabi Tel Aviv, 3–1.[1]

Financial difficulties brought the club to a turning point in summer 2002. A contemporaneous report estimated its deficits at five to six million shekels and said its future was uncertain as club management and the municipality considered a merger amid disagreements.[3] That summer, Maccabi Ra'anana merged with Bnei Herzliya, which had been relegated to the National League, to form Bnei Hasharon.[1]

Ra'anana returned to competition as an independent team in summer 2012 and reached the National League two years later.[1] It finished first in the regular season in 2017 and 2019 but did not secure promotion through the playoffs in either year.[1] In May 2013, the club won its first youth basketball championship, defeating Maccabi Tel Aviv 82–79 in the second game of the final series and taking the series 2–0; 700 fans celebrated at MetroWest, and Yarin Einhorn led Ra'anana with 20 points.[2]

The club clinched promotion to the top division in April 2025 with a home win over Maccabi Rishon LeZion. Walla gave the score as 91–78, reporting a fifth consecutive win and a comeback after an eight-point first-quarter deficit; Ynet gave it as 91–76, saying the result guaranteed first place with a 24–4 record and describing a decisive 17–5 run in the final quarter.[1][4] Both reports identified Joaquin Shuchman and Efi Timkin as the leading scorers, with 23 and 22 points, respectively, while Walla identified Shay Segalovich as Ra'anana's coach.[1][4] Maccabi Rishon LeZion later became the second promoted team after winning the Leumit League final.[5]

Ra'anana returned to the top division for the 2025/26 season but was relegated to the National League in June 2026 after one year.[1] Its final game of that season was a 92–77 loss to Ironi Ness Ziona.[6] In the opening game of the 2026/27 National League season, the club defeated Hapoel Hevel Modi'in 84–72; coach Goni Izraeli led the team, and Davon Burns scored 25 points.[7]

The club’s youth program has been part of its wider contribution to Israeli basketball. Yarden Garzon began playing club basketball with Maccabi Ra'anana at age eight and remained with the club until she graduated from high school.[8] The team’s first youth championship followed in 2013, when it beat Maccabi Tel Aviv in the final series.[2]

Players who progressed from Ra'anana to the top division include Gil Beni, Michael Brisker, and Yahal Melamed. Yuval Zussman also spent his rookie professional season with the club.[1] The club’s roster has included Israeli and American players. In October 2023, Yehu Orland was its coach while it played in Liga Leumit, described as Israel’s second-tier basketball division.[9]

Maccabi Ra'anana’s U.S. exhibition tour had been planned in August 2023, before the October 7 attacks. The team arrived in the United States on October 4, and its game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on October 12 opened a three-game tour that also included scheduled stops against Cleveland and Minnesota.[9] The Nets won 135–103; the game was described as the first time an Israeli professional team had played since the war began.[9]

The team also faced the Cleveland Cavaliers and lost 120–89. Israeli flags were displayed and both countries’ anthems were played before the game, while players and coach Yehu Orland showed messages of support for Israel amid the war.[10] Orland said, “Our bodies are here in the U.S., but our thoughts and hearts are in Israel.”[10]

Speaking at the Brooklyn game, Orland described the emotional circumstances and the purpose he saw in playing: “My heart is broken. But we have to create for those young people, children, hope that Israel is strong, and that is the reason I think everybody is here.”[9]