Israel national basketball player Raz Adam, 26, was killed Wednesday night in a car crash on Route 90 near Agamon Hula. Magen David Adom paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.
Adam was on his way to a team dinner for Hapoel Galil Elyon, the club he played for. A 39-year-old man was lightly injured in the two-vehicle crash and taken to Ziv Medical Center in Safed.
Adam began his career in the youth department of Elitzur Netanya, helping the club earn promotion to Israel’s National League in the 2017-18 season, and played there for the following two years. In the 2019-20 season, he was named the National League’s Breakthrough Player of the Year while serving as team captain.
That season, after play in the second division was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic, Adam made his move to Israel’s top league, joining Hapoel Tel Aviv. He later played for Ironi Ness Ziona and Kiryat Ata. This season, he played for Hapoel Galil Elyon.
Adam began playing for Israel’s national teams in 2017, appearing in the Division B European Championship for under-18 teams. A year later, he joined Israel’s under-20 national team and won back-to-back European championships alongside Deni Avdija.
He made his debut for Israel’s senior national team in February 2024 in a EuroBasket qualifier against Slovenia.
Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar paid tribute to Adam, saying: “I am pained and shocked by the untimely death of Raz Adam, captain of Hapoel Galil Elyon, who was killed in the fatal car crash in northern Israel. Raz was a young and promising athlete with a great love for the game and a huge heart. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and club.”
The report of the crash near Sde Eliezer was received by Magen David Adom’s Jordan region dispatch center at 7:09 p.m. MDA medics and paramedics reported finding a man in his 20s with multiple traumatic injuries and no signs of life, and pronounced him dead at the scene. The 39-year-old injured man was taken to Ziv Medical Center in light condition.
MDA paramedic Hussein Halihal and senior medic Eden Gigi said: “When we arrived at the scene, we saw both vehicles had sustained severe damage. Inside one of the vehicles, we found a man in his 20s trapped inside, unconscious, without a pulse or breathing, and suffering from severe multi-system injuries. After he was extricated, we performed medical examinations, but unfortunately his injuries were critical and we had no choice but to pronounce him dead at the scene.”