Gal Mekel (, 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 (appro ...

player. He played for 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 Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

and spent time in Europe and Israel. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

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 for Maccabi Tel Aviv,

Hapoel Gilboa Galil Hapoel Gilboa Galil () 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-seat arena in Gan Ner. History T ...

, and Maccabi Haifa, 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

, becoming the second Israeli to join 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 ...

; he also holds a Polish passport.

Early and personal life

Mekel is

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, and was born in Ramat HaSharon,

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

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

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

. He started his way in the Hapoel Tel Aviv 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 Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he moved at the age of 17, and subsequently won the 2005–06 Israeli Youth League. His father-in-law was 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 university, 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 ...

. 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 or team 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 poi ...

. 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 Maccabi Tel Aviv, for the remainder of the 2007–08 season.

Hapoel Gilboa Galil (2008–2009)

For the 2008–09 season, Maccabi Tel Aviv 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 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 ...

substitute spot, behind the team's newcomer Doron Perkins, 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, 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. 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 examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

. 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 and Maccabi Haifa, 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, but didn't help the team to pass the qualification's first round, where they were eliminated by KK Hemofarm, 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.

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, 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 Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

of the

; however, after not receiving a sufficient contract offer from the Jazz, he agreed to terms with the Israeli club Maccabi Haifa. 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, 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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

. Two Israeli players played on opposing NBA teams for the first time on November 1 when Mekel and the Mavericks played Omri Casspi 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 (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

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 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 The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

. 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, t=Lower Newtown; colloquially shortened to Nizhny) is a city and the administrative centre of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast an ...

, until the end of the 2015–16 season. Nizhny Novgorod's 2014–15 VTB United League season was ended, after being eliminated by

CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow () 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 Union, Soviet era, it was the central part of the Armed Forces (sports ...

3–0 in their

VTB United League The VTB United League () is an international professional men's club basketball league that was founded in 2009. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus and Kazakhstan. Since 2013, it is the first tier of Russian ...

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

team Crvena zvezda. 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 Maccabi Tel Aviv 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 The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

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 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 of the

Lega Basket Serie A The Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) is a professional men's club (sport), club basketball list of basketball leagues, league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball ...

(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, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Unicaja Malaga (2020–2021)

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

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...

MoraBanc Andorra (2021–2022)

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

National team career

Mekel is 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

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

and

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

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.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

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New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, 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;", Crvena zvezda , 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

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, 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
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