Adi Gordon (; born March 4, 1966) 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 (appro ...

player. He was a two-time Israeli State Cup winner with

Hapoel Jerusalem Hapoel Jerusalem is a sport organization in Jerusalem as a local branch of the Hapoel movement. The branch was established in the 1920s and represents the city in more sports than any other sport organization in Jerusalem. Today, the club's lead ...

. He was a four-time Israeli Premier League Assists Leader, in 1992 to 1994, and 1996. Gordon is widely considered one of the greatest

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

s in Israeli basketball history.

Early life

Gordon was born in

Binyamina Binyamina-Giv'at Ada () is a town in the Haifa District in northern Israel. It is the result of the 2003 merger between the two local councils of Binyamina and Giv'at Ada. In 2019 its population was 17,371. Before the merger, the population of ...

, Israel. He played

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

table tennis Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...

and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

as a child, but ultimately chose basketball and played for Maccabi Hadera youth team as a teen.

Professional career

Early years (1980–1991)

Gordon started his professional career with Maccabi Hadera. In 1984, Gordon joined

Maccabi Haifa Maccabi Haifa () 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, Basketball, Weightl ...

of the

Israeli Premier League The Israeli Premier League (, Ligat HaAl, ) is a professional association football league in Israel and the highest level of the Israeli football league system. The league is contested by 14 clubs, and operates on a system of promotion and rele ...

under head coach

Pini Gershon Pinhas "Pini" Gershon (; born 13 November 1951), is an Israeli former professional basketball player and coach. He won three top-level European-wide club championships as the head coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv. He won the FIBA SuproLeague champions ...

. In his first game with Maccabi Haifa, Gordon recorded 13 points, including a game-winner shot in a 94–92 win over

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv () 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 as football, basketball, j ...

. On January 12, 1987, Gordon recorded a career-high 37 points in a 108–102 win over Hapoel Gvat. In 1989, Gordon signed with

Hapoel Haifa Hapoel Haifa Football Club (, ''Moadon HaKaduregel Hapoel Haifa'') is an Israeli professional football club located in the city of Haifa. The club won one championship (1998–99) and 4 Israeli cups (1962–63, 1965–66 and 1973–74, 2 ...

and one year later joined

Hapoel Galil Elyon Hapoel Galil Elyon (), also known as Hapoel Nofar Energy Galil Elion for sponsorship reasons, is an Israeli basketball club. The team competes in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, the top tier of Israeli basketball, and internationally in t ...

Hapoel Jerusalem (1991–1994)

Gordon was a four-time Israeli Premier League Assists Leader, in 1992 to 1994, and 1996. In 1991, Gordon signed with

. On March 21, 1993, Gordon tied his career-high 37 points, shooting 6-of-10 from 3-point range, along with seven assists in a 95–82 win over Hapoel Eilat. On April 28, 1994, Gordon recorded 15 points, including a game-winner shot to give Jerusalem an 82–81 playoff win over

Hapoel Tel Aviv Hapoel Tel Aviv () 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, such as football, basketball, w ...

Hapoel Holon (1994–1995)

In 1994, Gordon parted ways with Jerusalem due to financial struggles and joined

Hapoel Holon Hapoel Holon Basketball Club (), is a professional basketball club based in Holon, Israel. The team plays in the Israeli Basketball Premier League (the top tier of Israeli basketball), and internationally in the Basketball Champions League. The ...

for one season.

Return to Jerusalem (1995–1998)

In 1995, Gordon returned to Hapoel Jerusalem for a second stint, joining his former head coach

. On April 19, 1996, Gordon scored a game-winner shot to give Jerusalem a 67–65 win over

, leading Jerusalem to win the 1996 Israeli State Cup – their first ever title. In 1997, Gordon helped Jerusalem to reach the 1997 FIBA Sporta Cup Quarterfinals, where they eventually lost to

Iraklis Thessaloniki Gymnastikos Syllogos Thessalonikis "Iraklis" (), commonly referred to as Iraklis Thessaloniki, is a multi–sporting club based in the city of Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece. G.S. Iraklis Thessalonikis was founded on 29 November 1908 and i ...

. In April 1997, Gordon recorded 32 points in an 89–82 win over

, leading Jerusalem to win the 1997 Israeli State Cup title for two years in a row. In June 1998, Gordon announced his retirement from playing professional basketball.

National team career

Gordon was a member of the

Israel national basketball team The Israel men's national basketball team () represents Israel in international basketball tournaments. They are administered by the Israeli Basketball Association. Israel is currently ranked 39th in the FIBA Men's World Ranking, FIBA World Ran ...

. He participated in the

1986 FIBA World Championship The 1986 FIBA World Championship was the 10th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. It was hosted by Spain and was held from 5 to 20 July 1986. The final phase of the tournament was hel ...

and the

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

and

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

EuroBasket EuroBasket, also commonly referred to as the European Basketball Championship, is the main international basketball competition that is contested quadrennially, by the senior men's national teams that are governed by FIBA Europe, which is the E ...

tournaments. On June 23, 1993, during the Eurobasket tournament, Gordon recorded a national team career-high 35 points, scoring eight shots from 3-point range, in a 79–74 win over

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

References

External links

Basket.co.il profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Adi 1966 births Living people Hapoel Galil Elyon players Hapoel Haifa B.C. players Hapoel Holon B.C. players Hapoel Jerusalem B.C. players Israeli men's basketball players Maccabi Haifa B.C. players People from Binyamina-Giv'at Ada Point guards 1986 FIBA World Championship players 20th-century Israeli sportsmen