Tomer Ginat

Ginat grew up in northern Israel near Nahariya and played basketball in the Nahariya program as a child.[5] He began in first grade, attending a basketball school with his friends, and later recalled: “Every year someone else quit; I stayed.”[6] In a 2024 interview, he said he had turned 30 earlier that month.[6]

At 18, while playing with a youth national team coached by Sharon Drucker, Ginat began to believe that basketball could become a professional career.[5] He identified Lior Eliyahu and Elyshay Kadir as players he watched and learned from; he subsequently had the opportunity to play alongside Kadir at Hapoel Tel Aviv.[5]

Ginat played for Kiryat Ata in Israel’s second-tier Leumit League from 2014 to 2016 before moving to Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Premier League.[5] He credited Kiryat Ata coaches Sharon Avrahami and Yossi Bonen with believing in him and said his experience there gave him confidence and motivation.[5] At Kiryat Ata, he was named the league’s most improved player, played another season, and then moved with Avrahami to Hapoel in 2016.[3] He later described Kiryat Ata as close to his heart because it was the first club to give him an opportunity; facing the club with Avrahami as its coach felt like “coming full circle.”[2]

During his first Hapoel spell, from 2016 to 2020, Ginat became the club’s captain.[7] He identified both Avrahami and Danny Franco as important figures in his development, describing his two years under Franco as his “breakout.”[5] In his final home game before leaving for France after the 2019–20 season, Hapoel held an emotional farewell ceremony, and he scored 21 points against Maccabi Tel Aviv.[7] By the announcement of his return in 2022, he ranked 15th on Hapoel’s all-time scoring list.[8]

Ginat spent two seasons with Metropolitans 92 in France, where the team competed for the French league title and reached the EuroCup quarterfinals during his time there.[5] Across those seasons, he averaged 9.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and two assists in the French league, alongside 8.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in the EuroCup.[8] Although he received an offer to remain in France, he felt that his time there had reached its end.[8]

In 2022, Ginat returned to Hapoel after also considering an offer from Maccabi Tel Aviv.[5] His five-year Hapoel contract was reported at $1 million and included an exit clause for a EuroLeague team other than Maccabi.[8] He described the return as a major moment for both his career and his family, and said the supporters’ welcome and messages made it unforgettable.[5] Supporters marked his return with shirts carrying the Hebrew version of “Love Never Fails,” echoing his announcement.[2]

A revised contract followed in 2024, when Ginat chose to stay at Hapoel despite offers from Europe.[9] He was already contracted through 2027, and his revised pay was expected to total about $1.5 million over the following three years.[9] By then, he had led the team to two consecutive domestic playoff finals, both lost 2–1 to its city rival.[9] In the preceding season, he averaged 13.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in the league, and 13.6 points and 5.5 rebounds in the EuroCup.[9]

Hapoel won its first European title in 2025, sweeping Gran Canaria 2–0 in the EuroCup final series and securing a place in the 2025–26 EuroLeague.[4][10] Ginat scored 10 points in the decisive 103–94 victory.[4] After the win, he said he had returned to Hapoel “because of the love” for the club and its supporters.[4] Ahead of EuroBasket that year, his league figures included 21 minutes per game, 26 percent shooting from three-point range, and 68 percent from two-point range.[3]

Ginat was appointed captain of Israel’s senior national team in November 2022, succeeding Gal Mekel.[1] He called the appointment a great honor, said representing Israel had always been a dream, and expressed a sense of responsibility for his generation to take the team forward.[1] In 2023, he described national-team participation as “the biggest honor that a basketball player can ask for” and a privilege, while discussing the younger players joining the squad.[5]

One of his difficult national-team experiences came in a 2018 World Cup qualifier against Germany.[5] With Israel leading 92–90 and less than a second remaining, he missed the rim on the second of two free throws; Germany subsequently tied the game and won in overtime.[5] Ginat called his action a mental mistake and said the experience had a lasting influence on him, but that he sought to learn from it and move forward.[5]

At EuroBasket 2025, Israel defeated France 82–69 after trailing by as many as 10 points.[11] Polish fans booed during Israel’s national anthem, and Israeli fans were barred from bringing in a flag bearing an emblem of hostages held in Gaza.[11] After the victory, Ginat said: “No one will boo the Israeli anthem.”[11]

Israel won group-stage games against Iceland, France, and Belgium before its tournament ended with an 84–79 loss to Greece in the Round of 16.[12] Ginat scored 15 points against Greece.[12] He finished the tournament averaging 11.2 points per game, ranking 43rd in scoring, and 7.3 rebounds, ranking 15th in rebounding.[13]

Ginat’s progression from Kiryat Ata to national-team captaincy drew praise from Avrahami, who described him as a complete player who had worked his way upward from the lower levels of basketball.[3] His return to Hapoel was followed by two consecutive domestic playoff finals and the club’s first European trophy.[4][9]

Beyond his performances, Ginat has spoken publicly about athletes’ mental health and the importance of helping younger players.[5] In a 2023 interview, he said athletes experience pressures and changes like other people and that mental health deserves continued attention.[5] He also said he tries to support young players by sharing lessons from his own experiences, including the process of learning from mistakes and moving forward.[5]