If there is one Israeli hoops star who truly proved you do not need to play for the perrenial champs in order to be one of the best, it is Boaz Yanai.
By LEAH P. WEISboaz yanai 88(photo credit: )
It has often been thought that the greatest names in Israeli basketball history have all played for Maccabi Tel Aviv. The club has proved to be a powerhouse in the league, completely dominating the field.
But if there is one Israeli hoops star who truly proved you do not need to play for the perrenial champs in order to be one of the best, it is Boaz Yanai. As starting center in 1976, Yanai led Hapoel Givat Yagor to become the the first team outside of Tel Aviv to win the State Cup. But perhaps the greatest accomplishment in his career came in the 1979 EuroBasket in Italy, when Israel won the silver medal, the highest achievement an Israeli national team has ever made in the EuroBasket.
Yanai also played for Hapoel Tel Aviv, Hapoel Afulah HaEmek, and Hapoel Givat HaEmek. By the end of his career Yanai played 333 games and scored a total of 6,729 points, averaging 20.2 points a game.
Tomorrow: One of the most decorated Israeli soccer coaches
