Tal Michael Dunne (; born 25 February 1987) is a Welsh-born Irish/Israeli former

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 Ironi Nes Ziona of the

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 ...

Early life

Dunne was born in

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth (; ) is a University town, university and seaside town and a community (Wales), community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is the largest town in Ceredigion and from Aberaeron, the county's other administrative centre. In 2021, the popula ...

, Wales, to an Irish father and Israeli mother. Dunne lived his first 2 years in the United Kingdom, before he moved to

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 grow up in the city of Ness Ziona. He played for Maccabi Rishon LeZion youth team and the Gymnasia Realit high school team.

Professional career

Early years (2005–2011)

In 2005, Dunne started his professional career with Maccabi Rishon LeZion. On 23 October 2005, he made his professional debut in a match against

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 ...

. In 2006, Dunne was loaned to

Maccabi Ashdod Maccabi Ashdod B.C. () is a professional basketball team based in the port city of Ashdod, Israel. The team currently plays in the Israeli National League. History The team was founded in 1961 by "Maccabi Ashdod Sports Association", with the ...

of the

Liga Leumit The Israeli Liga Leumit (, HaLiga HaLeumit, ) is the second division of the professional Israeli association football (soccer) league system. This second-tier league is placed directly below the Israeli Premier League. Structure There are 16 ...

. In 17 games played for Ashdod, Dunne averaged 16.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. On 14 February 2010 Dunne returned to Maccabi Ashdod for a second stint, signing for the rest of the season. On 31 August 2010 Dunne signed with Hapoel Afula for the 2010–11 season.

Ironi Nes Ziona (2011–2022)

On 20 October 2011 Dunne returned to Ironi Nes Ziona for a second stint. In his second season with Nes Ziona, Dunne helped them to promote to the

for the first time in their history. He was named Finals MVP. In 23 games played during the 2012–13 season, Dunne averaged 18.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. On 4 July 2013 Dunne signed a two-year contract extension with Nes Ziona. On 24 November 2014 Dunne recorded a career-high 29 points, shooting 12-of-19 from the field, along with six rebounds and six assists in an 87–83 win over

Ironi Nahariya Ironi Nahariya Basketball Club () 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 the Liga Leumit (the second tier of Israeli basketball) and ...

. On 22 June 2016 Dunne signed a three-year contract extension with Nes Ziona. That season, Dunne helped Nes Ziona to promote to the Premier League after they swept

Hapoel Be'er Sheva Hapoel Be'er Sheva Football Club (, ''Moadon HaKaduregel Hapoel Be'er Sheva'') is an Israeli professional association football, football club from the city of Beersheba, Be'er Sheva, that competes in the Israeli Premier League. The club was estab ...

3–0 in the best-of-five series. In his seventh season with Nes Ziona, Dunne helped them to reach the 2018 Israeli League Playoffs, where they eventually lost to

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 15 December 2018 Dunne recorded a season-high 20 points, shooting 9-of-14 from the field, along with eight rebounds, six assists and two steals, leading Nes Ziona to an 88–78 win over

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 ...

. He was subsequently named Israeli League Round 10 MVP. On 1 January 2019 Dunne was named Israeli League Player of the Month after averaging 14.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists in three games played in December. On 1 July 2019 Dunne signed a two-year contract extension with Nes Ziona.

Israel national team

Dunne was a member of the Israeli U-18 and U-20 national teams.

References

External links

RealGM profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunne, Tal 1987 births Living people British emigrants to Israel British Jews British people of Israeli descent Hapoel Afula players Elitzur Ashkelon players Ironi Ness Ziona B.C. players Israeli Basketball Premier League players Jewish Israeli sportspeople Israeli men's basketball players Jewish basketball players Men's basketball players Maccabi Ashdod B.C. players Maccabi Rishon LeZion basketball players Power forwards Small forwards Sportspeople from Aberystwyth Welsh Jews Welsh men's basketball players Welsh people of Israeli descent Gymnasia Realit alumni 21st-century Israeli sportsmen 21st-century British sportsmen