Hapoel Jerusalem B.C.

History

Hapoel Jerusalem Basketball Club was founded in 1935, and incorporated in 1943. It made its first appearance in the Israeli Basketball Premier League in 1955. Hapoel Jerusalem played in the first division most of the 1950s and 1960s, with notable players such as David Kaminsky. The following two decades had ups and downs, as Hapoel Jerusalem toggled between the first and second divisions.

In 1986, led by coach Simi Riger, the team advanced to the Premier League, after five consecutive years in the second division. Since then, Hapoel Jerusalem has remained in the Premier League. In 1996 and 1997, Hapoel Jerusalem won the Israeli Basketball State Cup, defeating Maccabi Tel Aviv in the finals, at the Yad Eliyahu Arena. The team was led by Adi Gordon.

In 2004, Hapoel Jerusalem won its first European title, the ULEB Cup (EuroCup), defeating Real Madrid in the final in Charleroi, Belgium.

In 2005, Israeli-Russian billionaire Arcadi Gaydamak purchased a large stake in the club. As a result, the team became stronger and signed four American players with NBA records – Tamar Slay, Horace Jenkins, Roger Mason, and Mario Austin, as well as Israeli star Meir Tapiro.

In 2007, Hapoel Jerusalem won its third Israel State Cup, defeating Bnei HaSharon. In early 2008 Hapoel Jerusalem came back from being 22 points down in the 4th quarter, to win its fourth State Cup, beating Maccabi Tel Aviv 93–89. In late 2008 it won its first Israeli Basketball League Cup, beating Ironi Nahariya.

In September 2009, oil tycoon Guma Aguiar became the team's sponsor and helped pay debts left by Gaydamak. On October 8, 2009, Hapoel Jerusalem beat Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Winner Cup finals, winning the club's second cup in a row.

One year after the mysterious disappearance of Guma Aguiar, in 2013 a new ownership group headed by entrepreneur Ori Allon took over. Guy Harel succeeded Dani Klein as general manager.

In April 2014, the New York Post and The Wall Street Journal reported that six-time NBA All-Star Amar'e Stoudemire might join Hapoel Jerusalem after his contract with the New York Knicks expired at the end of the 2014–15 NBA season. Stoudemire decided to retire from the NBA in July 2016.

Amar'e Stoudemire signed a two-year contract with Hapoel Jerusalem on August 1, 2016. In his first season with the team he helped it win the Israeli Basketball League Cup, defeating Maccabi Tel Aviv.

On June 20, 2014, the club signed coach Danny Franco. That same day, the club also signed season MVP Donta Smith. On June 25, 2014, the executive board of Euroleague Commercial Assets agreed to give Hapoel Jerusalem a wild card to compete for a spot in the EuroLeague qualifications.

On June 25, 2015, Hapoel Jerusalem won the Israeli Basketball Premier League Championship for the first time in their history, defeating Hapoel Eilat in the Final. On June 15, 2017, the club won the Israeli Championship for the second time, defeating Maccabi Haifa in the Israeli Final.

On June 1, 2023, Matan Adelson purchased a 90% stake of the club for $20 million, with the remaining 10% held by the Hapoel fan association. Among his goals were to expand the brand internationally and enter the Euroleague, alongside Maccabi Tel Aviv.

In August 2025 the team played the Brooklyn Nets in its first-ever game against an NBA team.

Team management

Ownership

• 90%: Matan Adelson
• 10%: Fan association

Staff

• General Manager: Dan Shamir
• Head coach: Yonatan Alon
• Physiotherapists: Gadi Hadad and Yanai Barak
• Team doctor: Dr. Jonathan (Jonty) Maresky
• Orthopedist: Dr. Adi Fridman

Fans and arena

The Brigade

Brigade Malcha is the official ultras organization of Hapoel Jerusalem B.C. In Malha Arena, the Brigade was located behind the south side basket. At the Pais Arena, the Brigade is located in stands #1 and #12. The Brigade has close connections with the team itself, and is consulted by management on instrumental decisions, such as changing the team logo, and planning events with the community.

Rivalry with Maccabi Tel Aviv

Since the founding of the club in 1943, Hapoel Jerusalem has developed a major rivalry with Tel Aviv's leading basketball club Maccabi Tel Aviv. Throughout the years, many games between the two teams became a part of the 'Hall of Fame' of Israeli basketball. The rivalry between the teams is very deep and emotional. Due to its vast size, the Pais Arena has brought Israel's largest basketball rivalry to a whole new level.

Malha Arena (1985–2014)

Main article: Malha Arena

When Hapoel Jerusalem was founded, it initially played in a small court on Histadrut Street, in the city center, before moving to the Jerusalem International YMCA arena. In the mid-1950s, it moved to the only indoor arena in Jerusalem at that time, "the Straus Arena," in the Histadrut building, on Straus Street. Malha Arena was used as Hapoel Jerusalem's home area from 1985 to 2014. It has a seating capacity of 3,000 seats, with 2,540 seats in its lower tier, an additional 460 seats in its upper tier. With its small size, the arena traps in noise, and distracts the opposing team. This gives a boost to players towards the end of the game when they need it most, according to the former head coach of Hapoel Jerusalem, Oded Kattash.

Pais Arena (2014–present)

Main article: Pais Arena

Former Mayor of Jerusalem, and Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert, proposed the master plan for the arena in 2004, and it took ten years to build. Though the Pais Arena is less than two kilometers from the team's previous home, which was opened in 1985, it is exponentially larger. The arena features 11,000 seats, four times as many as in Goldberg Arena, and all the modern amenities expected of a modern basketball venue. The stadium has twelve corporate boxes, each listed for $100,000 per season. The site was chosen far back, but the building only took place in recent years. With an eye towards what the future might bring, the arena has been built to EuroLeague standards. Playing in the EuroLeague in the next few years, is a goal that the team has publicly set for itself. The Pais Arena was opened in the 2014–15 season.

Sponsors

The team's main corporate sponsor is Israel Canada, which contributed to the teams name: Hapoel "Midtown" Jerusalem, after the companie's "Midtown Jerusalem" project. Secondary sponsors include Nike, Prima hotels, Hadassah hospital.

Current roster

Depth chart

• The Israeli league rule requires every team to have at least one Israeli on the court at any time.
• There should be maximum 5 non-Israeli players on a 12-men game sheet.

Source: basket.co.il

Notable players

• ISR David Kaminsky 7 seasons: '58–'63, '77
• ISR Israel Berlinsky 11 seasons: '59–'70
• ISR Itzhak Neumann 11 seasons: '59–'70
• ISR Yoel Steinberg 13 seasons: '63–'76
• ISR Doron Shefa 10 seasons: '80–'81, '89–'94, '96–'00
• USA ISR David Blatt 1 season: '86–'87
• ISR Pini Levi 9 seasons: '87–'94, '95–'97
• ISR Erez Hazan 5 seasons: '88–'93
• BIH Emir Mutapčić 2 seasons: '89–'91
• ISR Shalom Turgeman 11 seasons: '89–'96, '97–'01
• USA ISR Hubert Roberts 4 seasons: '90–'91, '93–'96
• ISR Adi Gordon 6 seasons: '91–'94, '95–'98
• USA Norris Coleman 3 seasons: '92–'94, '95–'96
• ISR Miki Berkovich 1 season: '93–'94
• USA Billy Thompson 3 seasons: '94–'97
• USAISR Jon Dalzell 3 seasons: '94–'97
• ISR Moti Daniel 2 seasons: '96–'98
• USA ISR H Waldman 4 seasons: '96–'00
• SRB Radisav Ćurčić 2 seasons: '97–'99
• USA Kenny Williams 4 seasons: '97–'01
• USA Derrick Hamilton 2 seasons: '98–'00
• ISR Erez Katz 6 seasons: '98–'04
• USAGBR Tony Dorsey 1 season: '00–'01
• USA Haywoode Workman 1 season: '00–'01
• ISR Meir Tapiro 6 seasons: '00–'03, '05–'07, '12–'13
• USA Demetrius Alexander 1 season: '01–'02
• ISR Moshe Mizrahi 5 seasons: '01–'04, '10–'12
• LTU Andrius Jurkūnas 1 season: '02–'03
• NGA Tunji Awojobi 1 season: '03–'04
• USA Kelly McCarty 1 season: '03–'04
• ISR Doron Sheffer 2 seasons: '03–'05
• USA Will Solomon 2 seasons: '03–'04, '10–'11
• ISR Ido Kozikaro 3 seasons: '03–'06
• ISR Yuval Naimy 4 seasons: '03–'04, '09–'12
• USA William Avery 1 season: '04–'05
• ISR Matan Naor 3 seasons: '04–'07
• ISR Raviv Limonad 3 seasons: '04–'06, '12
• USA Roger Mason, Jr. 1 season: '05–'06
• USA Horace Jenkins 2 seasons: '05–'06, '07
• USA Mario Austin 2 seasons: '05–'07
• USA Terence Morris 1 season: '06–'07
• SLO Jurica Golemac 1 season: '06–'07
• ISR Dror Hagag 2 seasons: '06–'08
• ISR Erez Markovich 3 seasons: '05–'08
• ISR Guy Pnini 2 seasons: '06–'08
• USA Timmy Bowers 3 seasons: '06–'09
• USA ISR Jamie Arnold 1 season: '07–'08
• USA Ramel Curry 1 season: '07–'08
• USA Marcus Slaughter 1 season: '07–'08
• ISR Sharon Shason 3 seasons: '07–'10
• USA Omar Sneed 1 season: '08–'09
• USA Travis Watson 1 season: '08–'09
• USA Eugene Jeter 1 season: '09–'10
• USA Tre Simmons 1 season: '09–'10
• USA Dijon Thompson 2 seasons: '09–'10, '16–'17
• ISR Yogev Ohayon 4 seasons: '09–'11, '17–'19
• ISR Uri Kokia 4 seasons: '09–'13
• USA Jason Rich 1 season: '10–'11
• USA Brian Randle 3 seasons: '10–'12, '17
• USA D. J. Strawberry 1 season: '11–'12
• ISR Elishay Kadir 2 seasons: '11–'13
• USA Ramel Bradley 1 season: '11–'12
• ISR Adam Ariel 5 season: '12–'15, '20-'22
• USA Jacob Pullen 1 season: '12–'13
• USA Courtney Fells 1 season: '12–'13
• USA Josh Duncan 3 seasons: '12–'14, '15–'16
• ISR Rafi Menco 4 seasons: '12–'16
• JAM Samardo Samuels 1 season: '13
• BLR Artsiom Parakhouski 1 season: '13–'14
• USA Derwin Kitchen 2 seasons: '13–'15
• ISR Yotam Halperin 5 seasons: '13–'18
• ISR Lior Eliyahu 6 seasons: '13–'19
• USA Bracey Wright 1 season: '14–'15
• USA Tony Gaffney 2 seasons: '14–'16
• USA Donta Smith 2 seasons: '14–'16
• ISR Bar Timor 7 seasons: '14–'20
• USA ISR D'Or Fischer 1 season: '15–'16
• USA E. J. Rowland 1 season: '15–'16
• USA ISR Amar'e Stoudemire 2 seasons: '16–'17, '18–'19
• USA Curtis Jerrells 1 season: '16–'17
• USA Jerome Dyson 2 seasons: '16–'18
• USA Tarence Kinsey 2 seasons: '16–'18
• DOM James Feldeine 2 seasons: '18–'20
• ISR Tamir Blatt 3 seasons: '18–'21
• USA TaShawn Thomas 3 seasons: '18–'21
• USA J'Covan Brown 3 seasons: '18–'21
• NGA Suleiman Braimoh 3 seasons: '19-'22
• USA John Holland 1 season: '19-'20
• USA Shelvin Mack 1 season: '20
• USA Emanuel Terry 1 season: '20
• LTU Deividas Sirvydis 1 season: '20
• USA Chris Kramer 1 season: '20-'21
• USA Stanton Kidd 1 season: '21
• USA Ray McCallum Jr. 1 season: '21
• USA Jalen Adams 1 season: '21-'22
• BEL Retin Obasohan 1 season: '21-'22
• ISR Itay Segev 2 seasons: '21-'23
• USA K. C. Rivers 1 season: '22
• LAT Mareks Mejeris 1 season: '22-'23
• EST Siim-Sander Vene 1 season: '22-'23
• USA Brandon Brown 1 season: '22-'23
• USA Zach Hankins 2 seasons: '22-'24
• USA Levi Randolph 2 seasons: '22-'24
• USA JaCorey Williams 1 season: '24
• USA ISR Alex Tyus 1 season: '24

Head coaches

• ISR Effi Birnbaum
• ISR Pini Gershon
• ISR Zvi Sherf
• ISR Sharon Drucker
• ISR Erez Edelstein
• ISR Dan Shamir
• ISR Guy Goodes
• ISR Mody Maor
• ISR Oded Kattash
• ISR Danny Franco
• USA Brad Greenberg
• ITA Simone Pianigiani
• ISR Oren Amiel
• ISR David Kaminsky

Season by season

Logos

File:Hapoel Jerusalem Basketball Club (logo).png|Current Logo

Honours

Total titles: 16

Domestic

Israeli Championships

• Winners (2): 2015, 2017
• Runner-up (7): 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2016

State Cup

• Winners (8): 1996, 1997, 2007, 2008, 2019, 2020, 2023, 2024
• Runner-up (8): 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2015, 2017

League Cup

• Winners (7): 2008, 2009, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2023, 2025
• Runner-up (3): 2007, 2010, 2013

Super Cup

• Winners (1): 2025

European

• EuroCup (ULEB Cup) : Winners (1): 2003–04 : Semifinalist (2): 2005–06, 2016–17
• Champions League :Runner-up (1): 2022–23
• FIBA Saporta Cup : Semifinalist (1): 2001–02

References

References

1. "Hapoel Jerusalem BC".
2. "Basketball – Hapoel Jerusalem (Israel): palmares, results and name".
3. "2003-04 - Welcome to Eurocup".
4. (December 8, 2023 }}{{dead link). "2008–09 Club Profile: Hapoel Jerusalem".
5. Berman, Marc. (April 14, 2014). "Amar'e may leave Knicks for Jerusalem team after 2015". [[The Sydney Morning Herald]].
6. (August 1, 2016). "Amar'e Stoudemire joins Hapoel Jerusalem!". Hapoel.co.il.
7. "Hapoel Jerusalem".
8. (June 23, 2014). "Rebuilding in full-swing at Hap J'lem; Franco, Smith incoming".
9. Sinai, Allon. (June 26, 2014). "Hapoel Jerusalem handed Euroleague qualifying berth". [[The Jerusalem Post]].
10. "Basketball News, Scores, Stats, Analysis, Standings".
11. (2023-06-02). "הסכום שמתן אדלסון שילם על רכישת הפועל ירושלים". [[Sports Channel (Israel).
12. (2024-06-19). "Matan Adelson’s hoop dreams for Hapoel Jerusalem". [[Jewish Insider]].
13. Ifargan, Stav. (2025-07-31). "Hapoel Jerusalem to make history facing Israeli players Danny Wolf, Ben Saraf in game against NBA team". Ynetglobal.
14. "Hapoel Jerusalem B.C. vs Brooklyn Nets Oct 4, 2025 Game Summary".
15. Sachs, Frankie. (March 21, 2014). "The Club Scene: Hapoel Jerusalem looks to bright future". Eurocup Basketball.
16. "הפועל מידטאון ירושלים האתר הרשמי".
17. (June 20, 2014). "כ.א.ל במו"מ מתקדם לאימוץ הפועל ירושלים".
18. (2025-06-16). "Israeli League Finals canceled; no champion named".