- Omri Casspi
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Omri Casspi 
Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. Small Forward Personal information Date of birth June 22, 1988 Place of birth Holon, Israel Nationality Israeli Listed height 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) Listed weight 225 lb (102 kg) Career information NBA Draft 2009 / Round: 1 / Pick: 23rd overall Selected by the Sacramento Kings Pro career 2005–present Career history Maccabi Tel Aviv (2005–06; 2007–09; 2011-present)
Hapoel Galil Elyon (2006–07)
Sacramento Kings (2009–11)
Cleveland Cavaliers (2011–present)Career highlights and awards BSL Champion: 2006, 2009
BSL State Cup: 2006
BSL Sixth Man of the Year: 2008
All BSL Team: 2009
NBA All-Star Rookie Team 2010Stats at NBA.com 
Casspi, playing for Israel in 2010
Omri Casspi (Hebrew: עומרי כספי) (born June 22, 1988) is an Israeli professional basketball player. He is under contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but is playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. during the 2011 NBA lockout. He is 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) tall, and plays at the small forward position.
He was drafted 23rd overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings, making him the first Israeli to be selected in the first round of the draft. With his debut with the Kings in 2009, Casspi became the first Israeli to play in an NBA game.[1] The Cavaliers traded for him in June 2011.
Contents
Early life
Casspi is Jewish,[2][3][4][5] was born in Holon, Israel, and grew up in Yavne.[6] He is the son of Shimon and Ilana, and has an older brother, Eitan, and a younger sister, Aviv.[7]
As a child Casspi played for Elitzur Yavne B.C. and Maccabi Rishon LeZion. When he was 13 he moved to the Maccabi Tel Aviv youth team, winning the State Youth Championship in 2005. Simultaneously he played for his high school basketball team.
Professional career
Israel
Casspi started on the Maccabi Tel Aviv cadet team. He made his professional debut at age 17 with Maccabi Tel Aviv during the 2005–06 season.[8] He joined Hapoel Galil Elyon on-loan during the 2006–07 season, and was one of its leading players, winning the "Discovery of the Year" award in the end of the season. In April 2007 he scored 14 points for the World Select team at the Nike Hoop Summit in Memphis.[9]
He returned to Maccabi in 2007. He became part of the team rotation for the following seasons. The team reached the Euroleague Finals in 2008 and won a state championship in 2009. Casspi received the 2008 Israeli League Sixth Man of the Year Award. In February 2009, he finished in fourth place in voting for the FIBA Europe Young Men's Player of the Year Award for the 2008–09 season, behind Ricky Rubio, Danilo Gallinari, and Kosta Koufos.
Casspi plays for the Israel national basketball team in international competition.[10][11]
NBA
In a pre-season exhibition game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on October 11, 2007, Casspi started the game and shot three-for-three from the floor, including a three-pointer, for eight points in 16 minutes of playing-time.[12]
In 2008, Casspi declared himself eligible for the 2008 NBA Draft, but he withdrew before the declaration deadline after failing to receive a first-round draft guarantee from any NBA club.[13]
Sacramento Kings
In 2009, Casspi again declared himself available for the draft. He was drafted 23rd overall by the Sacramento Kings, a team that the prior year had the worst record both in the league and in franchise history.[14][15] He became the first Israeli player selected as a first round draft pick. Not since Oded Kattash agreed to a contract with the New York Knicks in 1999 had an Israeli player come so close to playing in the NBA.[16] In July, Casspi signed a 3-year contract worth $3.5 million.
On October 28, 2009, Casspi made his NBA debut for the Kings against the Oklahoma City Thunder, scoring 15 points.[17] On December 16, 2009, Casspi made his first NBA start. Scoring 22 points against the Washington Wizards, he tied the most points scored by any Kings player in his first start since the team moved to Sacramento in 1985.[18]
On January 1, 2010, Casspi scored a career-high 23 points against the Los Angeles Lakers (along with 6 rebounds, 1 steal, and 3 assists) as the Kings lost 109–108. On January 2, 2010, he grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds against the Dallas Mavericks (along with 22 points, 1 steal, and 4 assists) as the Kings lost 99–91. On January 5, 2010, Casspi set a new career high with 24 points against the Phoenix Suns (along with 7 rebounds, 1 assist, no turnovers, and 10–19 from the field) as the Kings lost 113–109.
In 2010, Casspi was chosen to participate in the NBA All-Star Weekend Rookie Challenge, as well as the NBA All-Star Weekend H–O–R–S–E Competition against Kevin Durant and Rajon Rondo.
In 2010-11, Casspi played in all 71 games for Sacramento (starting 27 of them). He averaged 8.6 points, shot .412 shooting (including .372 from three-point range), and averaged 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 24.1 minutes per game. In his 27 starts, averaged 10.7 points on .435 shooting, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 31.3 minutes per game. In his two seasons for Sacramento, he averaged 9.5 points on .431 shooting, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 24.6 minutes per game.[19]
Cleveland Cavaliers
On June 30, 2011, Casspi and a 2012 1st round draft pick were traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for forward/center J.J. Hickson.[19] The News-Herald opined that Casspi will likely start at small forward for the Cavaliers.[20]
Return to Israel
During the 2011 NBA lockout, Casspi signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv, in Israel, with plans to join the team in January if the lockout continues.[21][22][23][24] Jordan Farmar is currently playing for the team as well.[25]
Statistics
Legend GP Games played GS Games started MPG Minutes per game FG% Field-goal percentage 3P% 3-point field-goal percentage FT% Free-throw percentage RPG Rebounds per game APG Assists per game SPG Steals per game BPG Blocks per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high European career statistics
Israeli League
Season Team GP MPG RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 2005/2006 Maccabi Tel Aviv 21 9.4 2.1 .9 .5 .1 4.2 2006/2007 Hapoel Galil Elyon 28 20.7 3.1 1.1 .9 .4 11.1 2007/2008 Maccabi Tel Aviv 27 20.3 4.0 1.4 .4 .3 10.4 2008/2009 Maccabi Tel Aviv 27 25.3 4.8 1.8 .4 .3 12.8 Career [26] 103 18.5 3.6 1.3 .7 .2 10.0 - including Playoff games
Euroleague
Season Team GP MPG RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 2005/2006 Maccabi Tel Aviv 3 3.0 .0 .0 .0 .0 0.7 2007/2008 Maccabi Tel Aviv 20 11.2 2.1 .6 .3 .2 4.6 2008/2009 Maccabi Tel Aviv 16 17.4 3.1 .4 .8 .2 8.8 Career [27] 39 15.3 1.7 .3 .3 .1 4.7 NBA career statistics
Regular season
Season Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 2009–10 Sacramento Kings 77 31 25.1 0.446 0.369 0.671 4.5 1.2 0.7 0.2 10.3 2010–11 Sacramento Kings 71 27 24.0 0.412 0.372 0.673 4.3 1.0 0.8 0.2 8.6 Career [28] 148 58 24.5 0.431 0.371 0.673 4.4 1.1 0.7 0.2 9.5 See also
References
- ^ "Casspi scores 15 in dream NBA debut". Jerusalem Post. October 29, 2009. http://www.jpost.com/Home/Article.aspx?id=158908. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
- ^ Aron Heller. "Knicks' Stoudemire in Israel to Trace Hebrew Roots". ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=11288077. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
- ^ "Mural of NBA player Casspi defaced again". USA Today. September 17, 2010. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2010-09-16-2864797495_x.htm. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
- ^ Nate Bloom (January 21, 2010). "Jews (and Mel) on the big screen, Winter sports roundup". Jweekly. http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/41080/jews-and-mel-on-the-big-screen-winter-sports-roundup/. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
- ^ "Omri Casspi Mural Defaced Again ". MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39221277/ns/local_news-sacramento_ca. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
- ^ Tracy, Marc (July 20, 2009). "Omri Casspi Is Ready For Primetime". Tablet Magazine. http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/11027/omri-casspi-is-ready-for-primetime/. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
- ^ "His sister: Omri Caspi not only aiming high". nrg. May 8, 2009. http://translate.google.co.il/translate?hl=iw&sl=iw&tl=en&u=http://www.nrg.co.il/online/3/ART1/888/115.html.
- ^ "Omri Casspi". Euroleague.net. June 22, 1988. http://www.euroleague.net/competition/players/showplayer?pcode=JFO. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
- ^ "Sacramento’s new King of the court is from Israel". The Jewish Tribune. November 24, 2009. http://www.jewishtribune.ca/TribuneV2/index.php/200911242364/Sacramento-s-new-King-of-the-court-is-from-Israel.html. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
- ^ Zeldin, Ashley (June 21, 2011). "Omri Casspi brings basketball camp to valley". Jewish Journal. http://www.jewishjournal.com/community/article/omri_casspi_brings_basketball_camp_to_valley_20110621/. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
- ^ "Grizzlies: Wallace meets Israeli President". NBA.com. September 2, 2010. http://www.nba.com/grizzlies/news/wallace_meets_israeli_presiden-100902.html. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
- ^ Associated Press (October 11, 2007). "Fans give little reaction to Thomas in Knicks' blowout". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=271011018. Retrieved June 23, 2009.
- ^ Sinai, Allon (June 18, 2008). "NBA & Local Hoops: Casspi withdraws from draft". Jerusalem Post. http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1212659760124&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
- ^ "2009 NBA Draft". NBA. June 25, 2009. http://www.nba.com/draft2009/. Retrieved June 30, 2009.
- ^ Sagi, Yehoshua. "The first Israeli in the NBA / And now, the real journey for Kings' Casspi begins". Haaretz. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/sports/basketball-the-first-israeli-in-the-nba-and-now-the-real-journey-for-kings-casspi-begins-1.5258. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
- ^ Mittleman, Jerry (June 26, 2009). "Omri Casspi becomes first Israeli picked in first round of NBA draft". Haaretz. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1095877.html. Retrieved June 26, 2009.
- ^ "Thunder get roaring, grab opener over Kings". NBA.com. http://www.nba.com/games/20091028/SACOKC/gameinfo.html. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
- ^ "Casspi Makes The Most Of Start". ESPN. December 21, 2009. http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/dime-091216/daily-dime. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
- ^ a b "Cavaliers Acquire Casspi and Future First Round Pick from Sacramento in Exchange For Hickson". Nba.com. October 29, 2009. http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/trade_110630.html?ls=iref:nbahpt2. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
- ^ Bob Finnan (June 30, 2011). "Cavaliers trade J.J. Hickson to Kings for Casspi and first-round pick". News-Herald. http://news-herald.com/articles/2011/06/30/sports/doc4e0cbcf41bf57924185256.txt. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
- ^ Omri Casspi headed back to Maccabi Tel Aviv
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ [4]
- ^ "Omri Casspi's Official Website". Casspi18.com. http://www.casspi18.com/index.php/page/47.html. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
- ^ "Casspi, Omri – Welcome To Euroleague Basketball". Euroleague.net. June 22, 1988. http://www.euroleague.net/competition/players/showplayer?pcode=JFO. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
- ^ "Omri Casspi Info Page". NBA.com. June 22, 1988. http://www.nba.com/playerfile/omri_casspi/index.html?nav=page. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
External links
- NBA.com: Omri Casspi Profile
- Euroleague: Omri Casspi Profile
- Maccabi Tel Aviv: Omri Casspi Profile
- Basketpedya.com: Omri Casspi Profile
- Casspi18.com: Official Website
2009 NBA Draft First round Blake Griffin · Hasheem Thabeet · James Harden · Tyreke Evans · Ricky Rubio · Jonny Flynn · Stephen Curry · Jordan Hill · DeMar DeRozan · Brandon Jennings · Terrence Williams · Gerald Henderson · Tyler Hansbrough · Earl Clark · Austin Daye · James Johnson · Jrue Holiday · Ty Lawson · Jeff Teague · Eric Maynor · Darren Collison · Víctor Claver · Omri Casspi · B. J. Mullens · Rodrigue Beaubois · Taj Gibson · DeMarre Carroll · Wayne Ellington · Toney Douglas · Christian Eyenga
Second round Jeff Pendergraph · Jermaine Taylor · Dante Cunningham · Sergio Llull · DaJuan Summers · Sam Young · DeJuan Blair · Jon Brockman · Jonas Jerebko · Derrick Brown · Jodie Meeks · Patrick Beverley · Marcus Thornton · Chase Budinger · Nick Calathes · Danny Green · Henk Norel · Taylor Griffin · Sergiy Gladyr · Goran Suton · Jack McClinton · A. J. Price · Nando de Colo · Robert Vaden · Patrick Mills · Ahmad Nivins · Emir Preldžič · Lester Hudson · Chinemelu Elonu · Robert Dozier
Cleveland Cavaliers current roster Categories:- 1988 births
- Living people
- Israeli basketball players
- Israeli Jews
- Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. players
- Israeli Basketball Super League players
- Jewish basketball players
- Small forwards
- Hapoel Galil Elyon players
- Sacramento Kings draft picks
- Israeli expatriate basketball people in the United States
- Sacramento Kings players
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