After winning championships in Europe and in Israel, Maccabi Tel Aviv is about to break a new record: The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in the United States will present an exhibition saluting the team's accomplishments in celebration of Israel's 60th anniversary.
The Hall of Fame generally honors players who have shown exceptional skill at basketball, all-time great coaches, referees, and other major contributors to the game in America. Millions of people come to visit the center in Springfield, Massachusetts each year.
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A few months ago, officials from the Israeli consulate in Boston came up with the idea to present the exhibition to mark 60 years since the establishment of the State of Israel. The Jewish Federation also jumped on board and following a series of meetings, the Hall of Fame's vice president decided to give it the go-ahead.
The exhibition events are set to kick off on Israeli Independence Day. The inaugural ceremony is to be attended by senior NBA officials including the commissioner of the organization, David Stern. Former basketball stars Miki Berkovitch and Tal Brody, who helped Maccabi Tel Aviv win its first European championship, are scheduled to attend the event and even speak to the attendees.
The exhibition will give an overview of the team's history from the 1930's to today. Preparations are already in full swing. Rare items that will be put on display to the US have already begun to be transferred to the US.
The display will also contain video clips including the one that features Tal Brody's famous line, "Now, we're on the map," which came after Maccabi won the European Cup in 1977.
This is the first time the Hall of Fame has presented an exhibition on an Israeli basketball team. Towards the end of the summer, the presentation will be set up in the biggest basketball stadiums in the US. It will later be brought to Tel Aviv to be part of the city's centennial celebrations.
Part of the exhibition will remain in the US and become part of the permanent Hall of Fame collection.
"We want young people to get to know Israel not only through terrorism and the conflict," Nadav Tamir, Consul General at the Boston consulate said on Tuesday.
Uri Orman, the cultural attaché at the consulate and the man behind the initiative, said that "Maccabi is the best way to show that we're on the map."
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