Willie Sims (basketball)

Willie Sims was born on June 16, 1958, in the Queens borough of New York City.[3][2] He was raised predominantly by his grandmother, an African American woman who converted to Judaism after marrying Sims’s Jewish grandfather.[1][2] Sims embraced that heritage and described himself as “Hebrew.”[2]

Sims became a 6-foot-3 guard, and his connection to Judaism brought him to Israel at age 19 to represent the United States at the Maccabiah Games.[1][2] That tournament experience became the beginning of his lasting association with Israeli basketball.

Sims played for Louisiana State University from 1977 to 1981 and became known for his role as a reserve, usually entering as the first player off the bench.[1] That role earned him the nickname “Super Sub.”[1] With Sims serving as sixth man, LSU won a school-record 26 consecutive games, finished the season with a 31–5 record and advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 1981.[1]

At the 10th Maccabiah Games in 1977, Sims arrived in Israel as a 19-year-old member of the United States team and scored the winning basket that secured the gold medal for the Americans.[2] He returned for the 1981 Maccabiah and won a second gold medal with the U.S. squad.[1]

The Denver Nuggets selected Sims in the fifth round of the 1981 NBA Draft, 101st overall, but he did not receive a contract.[2] After the 1981 Maccabiah, he stayed in Israel and signed with Maccabi Haifa, beginning a professional career that included 15 seasons in the country’s top league.[3]

Sims’s first stop in Israeli professional basketball was Maccabi Haifa, where he played from 1981 to 1983 and averaged more than 20 points per game during his two seasons.[4] He played alongside fellow U.S. Maccabiah team member David Blatt, and Haifa handed Maccabi Tel Aviv its first league defeat in three years.[3]

From 1983 to 1985, Sims played for Hapoel Tel Aviv, winning the Israeli State Cup in the 1983–84 season as part of a team that included Mike Largey and Levan Mercer.[3] The victory gave Hapoel Tel Aviv its first title in 15 years.[2] Sims then moved to Elitzur Netanya from 1985 to 1987, averaging around 20 points per game and reaching the playoff final in his first season with the club.[3][4]

Sims’s peak years came at Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he played from 1987 to 1992. During those five seasons, he won five consecutive Israeli Basketball Super League championships and three Israeli State Cups, in 1989, 1990 and 1991.[1][2] He was selected to the league’s Team of the Season in 1987–88.[4] Sims appeared in consecutive European Cup finals in 1988 and 1989, scoring 15 points against Milan and nine against Jugoplastika Split, though Maccabi lost both games.[3][2] The club later credited him with three European Final Four appearances.[2] Another memorable moment came in a 1992 away victory over Barcelona, when his late block of Juan Antonio San Epifanio secured the result.[3]

After leaving Maccabi Tel Aviv, Sims played four seasons for Hapoel Eilat from 1992 to 1996.[1] He made a brief comeback in 1999, appearing in 19 games for Maccabi Hadera in the National League and serving as an assistant coach before retiring permanently.[2]

Sims suffered a heart attack in August 2022 and remained hospitalized in Israel until his death on December 23, 2022.[1][2] He was 64 and was survived by his wife, Ariella, and their three children.[1][2] Obituaries described him as one of the most beloved players in Israeli basketball, tracing his place in the sport from his arrival as a young Maccabiah champion through his long playing career and later life in Israel.[1][3]

Across 15 seasons in Israel’s top league, Sims accumulated 3,761 regular-season points in 309 games, placing him 47th on the Israeli all-time scoring list.[3] He added 842 points in 76 playoff games, placing him among the leading postseason scorers in Israeli basketball history.[3][4]

After his playing career, Sims remained active in Israeli sports. He completed a basketball coaching course and worked as an assistant coach and top-league scout. He also spent years as a fitness instructor, coach and personal trainer and continued to participate in veterans’ and exhibition games.[2]

Sims settled in Israel with his wife, Ariella, and their three children.[1][2] His daughter Daniel Sims Mekel married former Israeli player Gal Mekel, continuing the family’s connection to Israeli basketball.[1][5]

For the 2023 All-Star Game, the Israeli league honored Sims by setting the fourth-quarter target at 37 points above the leading team’s total after three quarters. The number represented his highest-scoring game in Israel’s top league.[5] Family representatives were also chosen to present the game’s Most Valuable Player award. His daughter said the family was moved and proud that he had entered the hearts of so many basketball fans.[5]

Sources differ slightly on Sims's career playoff scoring rank. Ynet places his total of 842 points in 76 playoff games 14th on the all-time list, while Sport1 reports it as 15th.[3][4] The discrepancy likely reflects different counting methodologies or data points in time and does not affect the broader picture of his standing as one of the most productive postseason players in Israeli basketball history.