Ben Saraf
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Ben Avraham Saraf (; born April 14, 2006) is an Israeli 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 for the
Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), ...
of the
National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
(NBA).


Early life

Saraf was born to Israeli parents in South Africa where his father worked in the diamond industry. The family returned to Israel when Saraf was aged three. Saraf grew up in
Moshav A moshav (, plural ', "settlement, village") is a type of Israeli village or town or Jewish settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists between 1904 and 1 ...
Gan Yoshiya Gan Yoshiya (, lit. ''Josiah's Garden'') is a moshav in central Israel. Located near the Green Line in the Tulkarm area, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hefer Valley Regional Council. In it had a population of . History The moshav was found ...
in the Emek Hefer Regional Council in Israel. His father Yedid played one season for
Bnei Herzliya Basket Bnei Herzliya Basket (, lit. ''Sons of Herzliya''), is a professional basketball club that is based in Herzliya, in central Israel. The club plays in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, the top division of Israeli basketball. History The club w ...
in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. His mother Ella played for a number of years in the second league.


Professional career

Saraf began his professional career at 16 years old playing for Elitzur Netanya in the second-division Israeli Basketball National League. He averaged 14 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3 assists during the 2022–23 season. In April 2023, he was named the National League's Sixth Player of the Season and Rookie of the Year. Saraf signed with
Elitzur Kiryat Ata Ironi Kiryat Ata is an Israeli professional basketball sports club, club based in Kiryat Ata, a city in the Haifa District of Israel, which currently competes in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. The team was founded in 1980, and was promoted ...
of the top division
Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...
on July 11, 2023. He was named the
Israeli Basketball Premier League Rising Star The Israeli Basketball Premier League Discovery of the Year, or Israeli Basketball Super League Discovery of the Year, is an award given to the best young player of each season of the Israeli Basketball Premier League, which is the top-tier level m ...
after averaging 10.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. Saraf signed with
Ratiopharm Ulm Ratiopharm Ulm, officially stylized as ratiopharm ulm, is a professional basketball club based in Ulm, Germany. The club has two teams, one professional team, which plays in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the major German professional league an ...
of the
Basketball Bundesliga The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) (English language: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the German basketball league system, highest level Sports league, league of professional club basketball in German ...
(BBL) in Germany on June 20, 2024. At Ulm, he played for coach
Ty Harrelson Ty Gary Harrelson (born September 22, 1980) is an American-Australian basketball coach and former player. He played two years of college basketball for Wayland Baptist before playing the majority of his career in Germany and Australia. He is the ...
and had a major role on a team which reached the Bundesliga finals. Saraf was selected by the
Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), ...
with the 26th pick during the
2025 NBA draft The 2025 NBA draft was the 79th edition of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) annual draft. Like the 2024 draft, this draft took place over two nights. The draft consisted of 59 picks as opposed to the full 60 due to the New York Knick ...
in June 2025, side-by-side with American-Israeli
Danny Wolf Daniel Abraham Wolf (born May 5, 2004) is an American-Israeli basketball player. He played college basketball for the Yale Bulldogs and Michigan Wolverines. At Yale, he earned 2024 first-team All-Ivy League honors, the 2024 Ivy League tournament ...
who was selected with the 27th pick. This marked the first time that two Israeli players were picked by the same team in the
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
.


Israel national team career

Saraf played for the Israel under-16 basketball team in the
2022 FIBA U16 European Championship The 2022 FIBA U16 European Championship was the 34th edition of the European basketball championship for national under-16 teams. It was played from 12 to 20 August 2022 in Skopje, North Macedonia. Lithuania men's national under-16 basketball t ...
. He led the tournament in scoring with 24.3 points per game, and was named to the 2022 European U16 All-Tournament Team. Saraf played for the Israel under-18 basketball team in the
2024 FIBA U18 EuroBasket The 2024 FIBA U18 EuroBasket was the 39th edition of the European basketball championship for men's under-18 national teams. The tournament was played in Tampere, Finland, from 27 July to 4 August 2024. This was also the FIBA Europe's qualifyin ...
Championship. He again led the tournament in scoring, this time with 28.1 points per game, led the tournament in steals with 4.0 per game, was named the tournament MVP, and was named to the 2024 European U18 All-Tournament Team, as Israel finished fourth.


References


External links


FIBA profileRealGM profileProballers profile
{{Authority control, qid=Q117359974 Living people 2006 births 21st-century Israeli sportsmen Brooklyn Nets draft picks Ironi Kiryat Ata players Israeli expatriate basketball people in Germany Israeli men's basketball players Point guards Ratiopharm Ulm players Shooting guards