Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem | ||||
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Leagues |
Ligat HaAl EuroCup |
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Founded | 1943 | |||
Arena | Pais Arena Jerusalem | |||
Capacity | 11,600 | |||
Location | Jerusalem, Israel | |||
Team colors | Red, Black, White |
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President | Ori Allon | |||
Head coach | Simone Pianigiani | |||
Team captain | Yotam Halperin | |||
Championships |
1 Israeli Championship 1 EuroCup 4 Israeli State Cups 4 Israeli League Cups |
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Website | hapoel.co.il | |||
Uniforms | ||||
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Hapoel Jerusalem Basketball Club (Hebrew: הפועל ירושלים), for sponsorships reasons Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem, is the premier professional basketball club of the City of Jerusalem and competes in the EuroCup, Israeli Premier League, and the Israeli State Cup. Hapoel has won several titles, including the ULEB Cup (now called EuroCup) in 2004, and the Israeli League championship in 2015. In 2013, a new ownership group headed by Ori Allon, took over, and the club has since seen a remarkable advancement and expansion. The team began playing in the Jerusalem Arena in 2014.
Hapoel Jerusalem Basketball Club was founded in 1935 and incorporated in 1943 in Jerusalem. It had its first appearance in the Premier League in 1955. Hapoel played in the first division most of the 1950s and 1960s, with notable players, such as David Kaminsky and Amir Berlinsky. The following two decades had ups and downs, as Hapoel 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 has remained in the Premier league and became an important factor in the Israeli Basketball.
In 1996 and 1997, Hapoel won the State Cup, defeating Maccabi Tel Aviv in the finals, at the Yad Eliyahu (Nokia) Arena. The team was led by Adi Gordon, widely considered the team's symbol and one of its best players.
In 2004, Hapoel Jerusalem won its first European title, the ULEB Cup, defeating Real Madrid in the final in Charleroi, Belgium. Also in that year, the other major European basketball competition, the EuroLeague, was won by Maccabi Elektra Tel Aviv making Israel the leading basketball nation in Europe and the Middle East for 2004. In 2005, Israeli-Russian billionaire Arcadi Gaydamak purchased a large stake in the club. As a result, the team got stronger and signed four American players with an NBA record – Tamar Slay, Horace Jenkins, Roger Mason, and Mario Austin. The team also signed Israeli star Meir Tapiro.