The History of Jews In Basketball

Jews dominated early basketball. Why should this have been the case? When Jews were coming to America from all over the globe in the early 1900s, popular sports were usually reserved for the wealthy and mostly played at country clubs and Ivy League schools. 

However, Jews who had just immigrated didn't have that kind of money. On top of that, these institutions also usually banned Jews from joining. 

Basketball was different, though, because it was cheap (since the only things that you needed were a ball and a basket). Jewish immigrants who were looking to assimilate and prove themselves athletically adopted the sport avidly. Many Jews during that time would only be admitted to college with a basketball scholarship. 

Ossie Schectman, a Jew from New Brunswick, NJ, was the first player to score in the Basketball Association of America while playing for the NY Knicks in 1946. 

Most of the teams in this early league had Jews. Despite this, during the game, Jews were often poked with cigarettes and called slurs by people sitting in the front row. 

Other Jewish basketball stars rose to prominence. Barney “Tiny” Sedran was the shortest player of all time to ever be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Standing at only 5”4 and 115lb, Tiny dominated the court using his speed and passing.

Yahoshafat Ben Avraham, better known as Amar’e Stoudemire, also converted to Judaism. Stoudemire was the 9th pick of the NBA draft in 2002, won rookie of the year in 2003, had six appearances in six all-star games, was named to the All-NBA team five times, was inducted into the Phoenix ring of honor, and is in the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. 

Deni Avdija is an Israeli Jew currently playing for the Portland Trail Blazers, and he recently was in his first All-Star game.

It wasn't just Jewish men who dominated; Senda Berenson popularized women's basketball. She not only made the first women's basketball team, but she also wrote the rulebook for it.

Overall, Jews had a large influence on the game of basketball.