An Israeli King In the NBA

Not exactly King Solomon or King David, but this Israeli King is making his country proud:

As a first-round selection of the Sacramento Kings and the 23rd pick overall, [21-year-old Israeli Omri Casspi], the 6-foot-9 small forward – all grown up now at 21 – has a guaranteed contract and a date for opening night.

"We have had other good players try for NBA, and all were nice guys," said Zvika Sherf, Casspi's former coach with the Israeli national team and Maccabi Tel Aviv. "Maybe too much. They didn't have the elbows. Omri, he has the elbows."

Frankly, in terms of basketball, Israelis are tired of being shoved aside. While soccer is the most popular sport, Israeli Premier League power Maccabi Tel Aviv is the nation's treasure, often mistaken for the national team. The fact that 60 nations have been represented in the NBA before Casspi even attempts his first dunk remains a chronic source of irritation.

"Think about it," said Eran Soroka, basketball writer for the newspaper Ma'ariv. "Iran, one of the countries that wants to eliminate us, has a player in the NBA (Hamed Haddadi, Memphis Grizzlies). Iceland has had a player in the NBA. Latvia, Italy, France, Russia, but no Israel? This is like an insult to us."

Don’t insult the Israelis. If Iran is going to have a player in the NBA, you knew Israel would retaliate.

(A really nice story, worth the read)