Yam Madar

Madar was born on December 21, 2001, and grew up in Beit Dagan, Israel.[1] He began playing basketball with the local youth club there before joining Hapoel Tel Aviv's academy.[1]

He made his senior debut for Hapoel Tel Aviv in 2018 and earned Israeli League Most Improved Player honors the following season.[1] Madar also represented Israel at the youth international level, working under coach Ariel Beit Halachmi on Israel's Under-20 team, which won the 2019 European Championship held in Tel Aviv.[2]

Madar entered the 2020 NBA Draft alongside his longtime friend Deni Avdija and was selected 47th overall by the Boston Celtics in the second round. He never played in the NBA and continued his professional career in Europe.[1]

In 2021, Madar joined Partizan Belgrade, where he played under celebrated coach Zeljko Obradovic.[1] His performances earned him the EuroLeague Rising Star award for the 2022/23 season.[1] He subsequently moved to Fenerbahce, helping the Turkish club win its domestic championship and reach the EuroLeague Final Four in Berlin, before later spending time with Bayern Munich.[1]

Madar returned to Israel in November 2024 and rejoined Hapoel Tel Aviv.[1] During the 2024/25 campaign, he scored 41 points and made nine of ten three-point attempts in the final regular-season Tel Aviv derby.[1] During the regular season he averaged 13.2 points in 24 minutes per game, and in the playoffs he elevated to 19.6 points in 32 minutes per game.[1]

In Hapoel's EuroCup semifinal against Valencia, Madar played through a serious knee injury. Club owner Ofer Yannay characterized his effort as an extraordinary sacrifice and said Madar had been asking himself how many more seconds he could continue; Yannay also said the 23-year-old was risking millions of dollars in future earnings.[3] Madar was named the series' Most Valuable Player.[3] After the victory, Hapoel went on to win the 2024/25 EuroCup title, securing the club's first-ever EuroLeague berth.[1] The team had been forced to relocate its home games to Samokov, Bulgaria because of the war in Israel.[4] Reflecting on the achievement, Madar said: "That was the goal from the beginning. We've been through a lot. Behind us is an unbelievable community that waited 52 years for a title. To bring it to them — it's unbelievable."[4]

Despite his heroics in the EuroCup, Hapoel fell short in the Israeli League Finals, losing the championship series to Maccabi Tel Aviv. Across those four games Madar averaged 19.2 points, eight assists, and 1.5 steals while shooting 45.8% from three-point range.[1]

In July 2026, Maccabi Tel Aviv signed Madar from rival Hapoel Tel Aviv to a three-year contract running through the end of the 2028/29 season.[1] The 1.90-meter point guard, described as one of Israel's leading two-way guards, was expected to assume a central domestic and EuroLeague role at his new club.[1] Madar grew up supporting Maccabi Tel Aviv.[1]

Madar has played for Israel's senior national team.[1] In an Olympic pre-qualification victory over the Czech Republic, he scored 27 points and added five assists as Israel improved to 2–0 in its group.[5]

In a September 2026 World Cup qualifying loss to Latvia, Madar scored 15 points and attempted to keep Israel in the game after Latvia erased an early Israeli lead. Latvia ultimately won 85–70, eliminating Israel from World Cup qualification.[6]

Madar's trajectory — from a youth club in Beit Dagan to EuroLeague Rising Star and EuroCup champion — reflects the growing stature of Israeli basketball on the European stage.[1] His willingness to play through injury during a pivotal semifinal, described by his club's owner as a sacrifice of millions in potential future earnings, underscored a commitment to team success that resonated with Hapoel's long-suffering fanbase, which had waited 52 years for a European title.[4][3] His 2026 move to Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he was expected to play a central role domestically and in the EuroLeague, marks the next chapter in an already notable young career.[1]