Adi Gordon ( he, עדי גורדון; 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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. He was a two-time Israeli State Cup winner with Hapoel Jerusalem. 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 guards in Israeli basketball history.

Early life

Gordon was born in

Binyamina Binyamina-Giv'at Ada ( he, בִּנְיָמִינָה-גִּבְעַת עָדָה) is a town in the Haifa District of Israel. It is the result of the 2003 merger between the two local councils of Binyamina and Giv'at Ada. In its population was ...

, Israel. He played

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball c ...

table tennis Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...

and football 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 of the

Israeli Premier 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 ...

under head coach Pini Gershon. 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 ( 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 ...

. 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 and one year later joined Hapoel Galil Elyon.

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 Hapoel Jerusalem. 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 ( 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 ...

Hapoel Holon (1994–1995)

In 1994, Gordon parted ways with Jerusalem due to financial struggles and joined Hapoel Holon for one season.

Return to Jerusalem (1995–1998)

In 1995, Gordon returned to Hapoel Jerusalem for a second stint, joining his former head coach Pini Gershon. 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. 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 ( he, נבחרת ישראל בכדורסל) represents Israel in international basketball tournaments. They are administered by the Israeli Basketball Association. Israel is currently ranked 33rd in the ...

. 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 teams. It was hosted by Spain and was held from 5 to 20 July 1986. The final phase of the tournament was held at th ...

and the

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airpor ...

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

and

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake strike ...

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 ...

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,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...

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 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