!ברוך הבא עמרי (Welcome, Omri!)

Omri Casspi is the talk of Israelis and Israeli Americans everywhere! As the lone Sacramentan amongst my group of Israel-loving friends, I have been inundated with congratulations on picking up the first Israeli player in NBA history. Friends of mine who know nothing about basketball messaged me to congratulate me on the pickup. It is a very big deal for a country so small. This past summer olympics, Israel won its first gold medal in its history (in windsurfing, of all things). To now get an NBA player is extremely exciting for everyone in the country.

For those of you who don't know, basketball is huge in Israel, and Maccabi Tel Aviv is the cream of the crop. They play in the EuroLeague and have actually won it five times. They last won the EuroLeague 2005, the same year they beat the Toronto Raptors in an exhibition game, which was the first time a EuroLeague team has ever beaten an American team on this continent. The country has a lot of American immigrants, but basketball more than any of the other sports really caught on there. Even in some of the deeply religious sections of Israel where they don't allow television or internet, the kids grow up on basketball.

I'm glad to see that StR fans are excited about the prospects of having Casspi on the team. I'm sure a large Israeli contingent well follow him wherever he goes, in much the same way that the Turkish fans show up whenever Hedo is playing. I'm very excited to welcome him to the Kings.

!ברוך הבא ומזל טוב

By the way, long time reader, first time poster. I enjoy the work Ziller and many of you do on the blog.