Yotam Halperin

infobox Euroleague Player


caption = Halperin in a Maccabi jersey.
name = Yotam Halperin
nickname =
position = Point guard
Shooting guard
height_ft = 6 | height_in = 5
weight_lbs = 200
league = Greek League
Euroleague
team = Olympiacos B.C.
nationality = Israeli
birth_date = Birth date and age|1984|1|24|mf=y
birth_place =Tel Aviv, Israel
college = None
draft = 2^nd round, 53^rd overall
draft_year = 2006
draft_team = Seattle SuperSonics
career_start = 2001
career_end =
former_teams = Maccabi Tel Aviv (2001–05) KK Union Olimpija (2005-06) Maccabi Tel Aviv (2006-2008)
awards =
FIBA Under-21 World Championship All Star 2005
All-Euroleague 2nd Team Euroleague 2007-08

Yotam Halperin ( _he. יוֹתָם הַלְפֶּרִין; born January 24, 1984 in Tel Aviv, Israel) is an Israeli basketball player currently playing with Olympiacos B.C.

Yotam grew up in Tel Aviv and was the basketball star of Metrowest High School in Ra'anana. He declared himself eligible for the 2006 NBA Draft, and the Seattle SuperSonics selected him in the second round, with the 53rd overall pick.

Pro career

Halperin played in the Maccabi Tel Aviv juniors since he was 8 years old. After finishing high school Halperin had a tough time fitting in with the senior club Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C., since the team had so many star players, such as Ariel McDonald and Anthony Parker.

Halperin sat on the bench for the Maccabi Tel Aviv team until 2005. He got an offer from KK Union Olimpija in Ljubljana and emerged as a star in the 2005-06 season, winning the Slovenian League three-point competition and putting up big numbers for Olimpija both in the Slovenian League and in the Euroleague.

He won the Slovenian National Cup and the Slovenian Championship with KK Union Olimpija after completing the final series in the Slovenian playoffs (3-2 in the final over Geoplin Slovan).

Yotam was projected to be the first Israeli in the NBA. Unfortunately, his 2006 NBA Draft placement (53rd overall) was not enough to secure him a guaranteed NBA contract, so he opted to return to Israel to spend the 2006-07 season with Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. where he underachieved that season. In the 2007-2008 season he led Maccabi Tel Aviv to the Finals of the Euroleague Final Four in Madrid, Spain.

On June 15, 2008 Yotam signed a deal with Olympiacos BC and he will join his former Maccabi teammate Nikola Vujcic.

External links

* [http://www.basketpedya.com/Acc002InfJug.php?idjug=20082&idioma=3 Basketpedya.com Career & stats]
*NBA-profile
* [http://www.euroleague.net/competition/players/showplayer?pcode=AOZ Euroleague.net player profile]