Gal Mekel ( he, גל מקל, pronounced ; born March 4, 1988) is an Israeli former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. He played for the Dallas Mavericks and spent time in Europe and Israel. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for two years at

Wichita State University Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

. He then played in the

Israeli Super League The Israeli Premier League ( he, ליגת העל, ''Ligat Ha`Al'', ), is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Israeli Football League – the state's league of Israel. The league is contested b ...

for

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...

Hapoel Gilboa Galil Hapoel Gilboa Galil ( he, הפועל גלבוע גליל) is a professional basketball club that is based in north-east Israel. The club plays its home game in the Israeli Basketball Premier League (the top tier of Israeli basketball) in a 2,250- ...

, and

Maccabi Haifa Maccabi Haifa ( he, מכבי חיפה) is one of the biggest sports clubs in Israel and a part of the Maccabi association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Haifa which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, such as Football ...

, and in the Italian Serie A League for Benetton Treviso. He was a two-time Israeli Super League MVP, in 2011 and 2013. He was the Israeli Premier League Assists Leader in 2011 and 2016. In 2013, he signed a three-year minimum fully guaranteed contract with the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. Th ...

, becoming the second Israeli to join the NBA; he also holds a

Polish passport A Polish passport ( pl, paszport) is an international travel document issued to nationals of Poland, and may also serve as proof of Polish citizenship. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication of Polish c ...

Early and personal life

Mekel is

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

, and was born in

Ramat HaSharon Ramat HaSharon ( he, רָמַת הַשָּׁרוֹן, ''lit.'' '' Sharon Heights'', ar, رمات هشارون) is a city located on Israel's central coastal strip in the south of the Sharon region, bordering Tel Aviv to the south, Hod HaSharon ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, to Alon and Ariela Mekel. He has four brothers and two sisters. He attended Alliance High School in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

. He started his way in the

Hapoel Tel Aviv Hapoel Tel Aviv ( he, הפועל תל אביב) is a sports club in Israel, founded in the 1920s, and part of the Hapoel association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, suc ...

youth team. Shortly after, he moved to the A.S. Ramat HaSharon youth team where he demonstrated a good playmaking ability. His ability caught the eyes of basketball giant

, where he moved at the age of 17, and subsequently won the 2005–06 Israeli Youth League. His father-in-law is American-Israeli former basketball player Willie Sims, after marrying daughter Danyella.

College career

Mekel played

for two years at

Wichita State Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study ...

. In his rookie season ( 2006–07), by mid-season he was promoted to starter. He finished his first season with averages of 13 minutes and four

points per game Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the average number of points scored by a player per game played in a sport, over the course of a series of games, a whole season, or a career. It is calculated by dividing the total number of points by nu ...

. In the 2007–08 season, Mekel improved his stats to 9.3 ppg and 3.7 apg while playing more than 30 minutes per game. Despite his improvement he decided to leave the team after that season.

Professional career

Maccabi Tel Aviv (2008)

On March 28, 2008, Mekel signed his first professional contract with

, for the remainder of the 2007–08 season.

Hapoel Gilboa Galil (2008–2009)

For the 2008–09 season,

loaned Mekel to

, an Israeli club that is known for promoting young talents, in order to receive some playing experience, and return better the next year. In Galil, he averaged 6.9 points and 2.7 assists per game. He excelled in the league's playoff quarter-finals against Hapoel Holon, helping his team reach the Israeli Super League Final Four, where they lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv. Mekel ended up winning the Israeli Super League Rising Star award.

Return to Maccabi (2009)

After a good season with Galil, Mekel returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv. They designated him at the

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run the team's offense by ...

substitute spot, behind the team's newcomer

Doron Perkins Doron Perkins (born on May 6, 1983) is a former American professional basketball player and currently an assistant coach for Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. of the Euroleague. Standing at 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) he can play as either a point guard or a ...

, who had won the Israeli Super League MVP award in the previous season. Mekel recorded 13 points and 5 assists in his debut game with Maccabi Tel Aviv, against

Ironi Nahariya Ironi Nahariya Basketball Club ( he, מועדון הכדורסל עירוני נהריה; ) known for sponsorship reasons as Ironi Rain Nahariya () is a professional basketball club based in city of Nahariya in northern Israel. The team plays in th ...

, in the second round of the 2009–10 Israeli Super League. In December 2009, he asked to be loaned out again, after the minority of minutes he was receiving.

Return to Gilboa Galil (2009–2011)

Mekel was loaned back to Gilboa/Galil, just 6 months after he finished his first loan to the same team. In Galil, Mekel shared the point guard position with

Jeremy Pargo Jeremy Raymon Pargo (born March 17, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for Real Betis of the Liga ACB. Standing at , he plays at the point guard position. In 2011 he reached the EuroLeague Final with Maccabi Tel Aviv, earning an ...

. Together, they led Galil to their second Israeli Super League title, after surprising Maccabi in the league's

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

. Mekel was a key member in the team averaging, 7.5 points and 4.3 assists per game, in 25.5 minutes per game. In 2010, Mekel got offers from the Israeli clubs

Bnei HaSharon Bnei Herzliya Basket (, lit. ''Sons of Herzliya''), is a professional basketball club that is based in Herzliya, in the Sharon district in Israel. The club plays in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, the top division of Israeli basketball. I ...

and

, but he decided to stay in Galil, signing a one-year contract with them. He played with the team in the

EuroLeague 2010–11 qualifying rounds This page describes the qualifying rounds for the Turkish Airlines Euroleague 2010–11. The qualifying rounds consisted of three rounds, played in home and away series. Teams ;Notes Draw The draw was made on Thursday, July 8, 2010 at Barce ...

, but didn't help the team to pass the qualification's first round, where they were eliminated by

KK Hemofarm KK, K.K., kK, k.k., or other sequences of two k's with or without punctuation may refer to: Arts and media *KK, the production code for the 1967 ''Doctor Who'' serial ''The Faceless Ones'' * "KK" (song), a 2014 song by Wiz Khalifa * Kk. or Kirk ...

, from Serbia. At the Israeli national domestic level, Mekel led Galil to a 2nd-place finish at the end of the regular season. They were able to repeat their previous season's trip to the league's final, once again against Maccabi, but this time they lost. Mekel also had a great individual season, which concluded in him winning the Israeli Super League MVP award. He was the Israeli Premier League Assists Leader in 2011. He also played in the

2011 BSL All-Star Game The 2011 BSL All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on 11 January 2011 at Gan Ner Sports Hall, home of Hapoel Gilboa Galil. The game was played during the 2010–11 BSL Season. All-Star Game The BSL League Administratio ...

Benetton Treviso (2011–2012)

On July 5, 2011, Mekel signed a two-year contract with the Italian team Benetton Treviso. With Benetton, he reached the 2011–12 EuroCup Last 16, and finished in 11th place in the Italian 2011–12 LBA league. He averaged 6.3 points and 3.7 assists per game in the

Italian League The Italic League or Most Holy League was an international agreement concluded in Venice on 30 August 1454, between the Papal States, the Republic of Venice, the Duchy of Milan, the Republic of Florence, and the Kingdom of Naples, following the T ...

, and 4 points and 2 assists per game in the EuroCup. At the end of the season, the club ceased the activity of the first team, focusing on youth sector.

Maccabi Haifa (2012–2013)

At the start of the 2012–13 season, Mekel wanted to stay with a club that was playing in European-wide competitions, but he also had tryouts with the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

of the NBA; however, after not receiving a sufficient contract offer from the Jazz, he agreed to terms with the Israeli club

. Mekel led the team to a 2nd-place finish at the end of the Israeli Super League regular season, and to the Israeli State Cup final, where they lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv. Haifa got another chance at a title that season, when they reached the Israeli Super league's final, which was held at their home court of Romema Arena. The Greens went on to win the match and the championship, after a great performance from Mekel: 21 points and 7 assists, after which he received the Israeli League MVP award, which he had won a night before.

Dallas Mavericks (2013–2014)

On July 11, 2013, the

signed Mekel to a three-year minimum fully guaranteed contract, and he became the second Israeli to join the NBA. Mekel played with the Mavericks in the

2013 NBA Summer League The 2013 NBA Summer League is a pro basketball league run by the NBA just after the 2013 NBA draft. It gives newly drafted players a chance to test their skills against each other, and to give them a feel for professional basketball. All 30 NBA ...

, and finished with averages of 9.7 points and 5 assists per game. In his debut regular season game for the Mavs on October 30, 2013, Mekel recorded 2 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists in a 118–109 win over the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

. Two Israeli players played on opposing NBA teams for the first time on November 1 when Mekel and the Mavericks played

Omri Casspi Omri Moshe Casspi ( he, עומרי משה כספי, born June 22, 1988) is an Israeli former professional basketball player. He mainly played at the small forward position, but could play also at the power forward position. Casspi was drafted 23 ...

and the Rockets. The two had been teammates on the Israeli Under-16, Under-18, and Under-20 teams, and on the Maccabi Tel Aviv junior team. In that game, the Houston Rockets beat the Dallas Mavericks 113-105 in Houston. Casspi scored 12 points in 21 minutes, and Mekel scored 11 points and dished off 6 assists in 23 minutes in his best NBA game to date. On November 30, he started in his first NBA game against the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

and scored 6 points and dished off 7 assists in 26 minutes. The Mavs lost that game though, 106–112. After the game on January 13, 2014, Mekel was placed on the injured list due to a torn meniscus in his right knee, which required surgery and at least 4–6 weeks of recovery. On March 4, 2014, Mekel was assigned to the

Texas Legends The Texas Legends are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Frisco, Texas, and are affiliated with the Dallas Mavericks. The Legends play their home games at the Comerica Center. The team began as the Colorado ...

of the NBA D-League. On March 9, he was recalled by the Mavericks. On March 15, he was reassigned to the Legends. He was recalled three days later. On October 29, 2014, Mekel was waived by the Mavericks.

New Orleans Pelicans (2014)

On December 5, 2014, Mekel signed a two-year, non-guaranteed contract with the New Orleans Pelicans. However, he was later waived by the Pelicans on December 19 after appearing in just four games.

Nizhny Novgorod (2015)

On February 24, 2015, Mekel moved to Russia, and signed with

Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət ), colloquially shortened to Nizhny, from the 13th to the 17th century Novgorod of the Lower Land, formerly known as Gork ...

, until the end of the 2015–16 season. Nizhny Novgorod's

2014–15 VTB United League The 2014–15 VTB United League was the 6th complete season of the VTB United League. It was the second season in which the VTB United League functioned as the new domestic first tier level for Russian professional basketball clubs, which can q ...

season was ended, after being eliminated by

CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet era, it was a central piece of the big So ...

3–0 in their

VTB United League VTB United League (russian: Единая Лига ВТБ) is an international professional men's club basketball league that was founded in 2008. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus and Kazakhstan. Since 2013, it ...

semifinal playoff series. In July 2015, he parted ways with Nizhny.

Crvena zvezda (2015)

On August 27, 2015, Mekel signed a one-year contract with Serbian

ABA League The ABA League, renamed to the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the 1st-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Mace ...

team

Crvena zvezda Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club, ), commonly known as Red Star Belgrade in English-language media, is a Serbian professional Association football, foot ...

. However, on December 3, 2015, Mekel parted ways with Crvena zvezda after appearing in 13 games.

Third stint with Maccabi (2016–2017)

On January 10, 2016, Mekel returned to

for a third stint, signing a 3½-year contract. Mekel won the Israeli State Cup titles in 2016 and 2017, earning the Finals MVP honors for two consecutive years. He was the Israeli Premier League Assists Leader in 2016. On July 4, 2017, Mekel parted ways with Maccabi.

Gran Canaria (2017–2018)

On July 14, 2017, Mekel signed a one-year deal with the Spanish team Herbalife Gran Canaria. In 17 EuroCup games, he averaged 9.6 points and 5 assists per game. Mekel helped Gran Canaria to reach the 2018 EuroCup Quarterfinals, as well as reaching the 2018 ACB Semifinals, which helped them earn a qualification to the EuroLeague as the highest-placed team in the Liga ACB without a long-term EuroLeague licence.

Zenit Saint Petersburg (2018–2019)

On October 8, 2018, Mekel signed with the Russian team

Zenit Saint Petersburg Football Club Zenit (russian: link=no, Футбольный клуб «Зенит» ), also known as Zenit Saint Petersburg or simply Zenit, is a Russian professional football club based in Saint Petersburg. Founded in 1925 (or in 1914, acco ...

for the 2018–19 season. In 27 games played in the VTB League and the EuroCup, he averaged 7.4 points, 5.3 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 18.8 minutes per game. Mekel helped Zenit reach the 2019 VTB League Semifinals, where they eventually were eliminated by

. On July 7, 2019, Mekel parted ways with Zenit.

Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia (2019–2020)

On August 15, 2019, Mekel signed with

Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia Pallacanestro Reggiana, also known for sponsorship reasons as UnaHotels Reggio Emilia, is an Italian professional basketball team based in Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna. It plays in the LBA as of the 2022-23 season. History 1970s Pallacanest ...

of the

Lega Basket Serie A The Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) is a professional men's club basketball league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP). It is the highest-tier ...

(LBA). On October 20, 2019, Mekel recorded a season-high 21 points in 27 minutes, shooting 7-of-13 from the field, along with five assists, leading Reggio Emilia to an 84–72 win over OriOra Pistoia. Mekel parted ways with the club due to the coronavirus infection in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Unicaja Malaga (2020–2021)

On March 5, 2020, he signed with Unicaja Málaga of the Spanish Liga ACB.

MoraBanc Andorra (2021–2022)

On October 11, 2021, he has signed with MoraBanc Andorra of the Liga ACB.

National team career

Mekel is a member of the Israel national basketball team. He participated in the 2009, 2011, 2015 and

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

EuroBasket tournaments.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, 31 , , 1 , , 9.4 , , .349 , , .250 , , .667 , , .9 , , 2.0 , , .1 , , .0 , , 2.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, 4 , , 0 , , 10.8 , , .150 , , .0 , , .0 , , .3 , , 3.3 , , .5 , , .0 , , 1.5 , -class="sortbottom" , align="left" , Career , align="left" , , 35 , , 1 , , 9.6 , , .311 , , .217 , , .667 , , .8 , , 2.2 , , .2 , , .0 , , 2.3

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2009–10 , style="text-align:left;", Maccabi , 1 , , 0 , , 1 , , 0 , , 0 , , 0 , , 0 , , 0 , , 0 , , 0 , , 0 , , -1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , 0 , , 20.7 , , .482 , , .286 , , .824 , , 2.3 , , 4.7 , , .7 , , .0 , , 11.7 , , 11.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 4 , , 20.2 , , .230 , , .333 , , 1.00 , , 1.5 , , 2.8 , , .3 , , .3 , , 3.8 , , 0.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;", Maccabi , 24 , , 10 , , 15.9 , , .398 , , .400 , , .606 , , 2.2 , , 3.3 , , .3 , , 0 , , 4.5 , , 5.6 , -class="sortbottom" , align="left" , Career , align="left" , , 35 , , 14 , , 16.7 , , .400 , , .371 , , .692 , , 2.1 , , 3.4 , , .3 , , .1 , , 5.5 , , 2.0

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2006–07 , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 3 , , 13.0 , , .443 , , .354 , , .647 , , 1.0 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , .0 , , 4.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2007–08 , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 26 , , 30.7 , , .354 , , .287 , , .877 , , 3.1 , , 3.7 , , .3 , , .0 , , 9.2 , - , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 62 , , 29 , , 21.9 , , .379 , , .306 , , .809 , , 2.1 , , 2.6 , , .4 , , .0 , , 6.6 Source
RealGM
/small>

References

External links

*
aba-liga.com profiledraftexpress.com profileeurobasket.com profileEuroLeague profileWichita State Shockers bio

Twitter page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mekel, Gal 1988 births Living people ABA League players Basketball League of Serbia players BC Nizhny Novgorod players BC Zenit Saint Petersburg players CB Gran Canaria players Dallas Mavericks players Israeli expatriate basketball people in Spain Hapoel Gilboa Galil Elyon players Israeli Basketball Premier League players Israeli expatriate basketball people in Serbia Israeli expatriate basketball people in the United States Israeli people of Polish-Jewish descent Israeli Jews Jewish men's basketball players KK Crvena zvezda players Lega Basket Serie A players Liga ACB players Maccabi Haifa B.C. players Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. players National Basketball Association players from Israel New Orleans Pelicans players Pallacanestro Reggiana players Pallacanestro Treviso players People from Ramat HaSharon Point guards Texas Legends players Undrafted National Basketball Association players Wichita State Shockers men's basketball players