Israeli basketball has taken a number of leaps forward over the last number of years with the success of Deni Avdija in the NBA. This has allowed for many youngsters to dream that playing in the greatest league in the world is something that is within reach especially after the Portland Trail Blazers star was also selected to play in last season’s All-Star Game.

While Avdija was taking his first steps in the NBA with the Washington Wizards, Ben Saraf was honing his trade and was selected by the Brooklyn Nets in the 2025 NBA Draft. The guard had a solid first season that saw him continue to develop his skills and become yet another role model for kids across the Holy Land.

Saraf, who played In the NBA Summer League came back to Israel and took part in a special event hosted by legendary YouTuber and sports analyst Pini Barel together with Foot Locker at Cinema City in Rishon Le’Zion which allowed hundreds of the players fans to hear from him about what it’s like to play in the NBA along with having a chance to meet him as well.

Prior to the event, Saraf spent time with The Sports Rabbi talking about his debut season in the NBA along with some of the highlights of being an Israeli and a Jew playing in New York City.

“It’s so much fun meeting the Israeli fans,” Saraf began as he spoke about the special program. “We haven’t really had events like this in Israel before so it’s something special for the basketball culture here. I’m having a great time and it’s amazing to see people wearing my jersey, that’s really exciting. I hadn’t been back to Israel for quite a while, so it’s always great to come home.”

Playing in the NBA of course is a dream come true for the modest Saraf who played for teams in Netanya, Kiryat Ata and then Ulm before landing in the United States where he is also teammates with naturalized Israeli Danny Wolf and in the same league now as Deni Avdija.

“I think the most exciting and emotional moment was the game where there were three Israelis playing together on the same court with all the Jewish fans in attendance. It was so much bigger than basketball. That was definitely the most powerful moment of my season.”

Being able to play in New York allows Saraf the opportunity to spend a lot of time with the largest Jewish community in the world outside of Israel which he is taking full advantage of.

“It’s amazing. There are endless Friday night dinners. Even when I travel to other places, I meet many Israelis and Jews doing gap-year programs or who are volunteering and I’m always invited over. That’s also true when it comes to Chabad houses across the country as well. I try to go whenever I can. I also visited a Jewish school in Cleveland to talk with the kids. It’s great, I really appreciate all that support.”

Saraf was able take away plenty from his first season in the NBA and learnt a tremendous amount about his game including what he will need to improve before the start of the upcoming season.

“During my workouts over the past few months, the Summer League and our team practices, I already feel like the game has slowed down for me a bit. You have to get used to the pace and understand better what’s expected of you. This summer, I’m focusing a lot on improving my shooting, getting stronger physically, learning how to take care of my body and how to prepare for games. Those are all things you learn during your first NBA season and I’m happy about that.”

The national team is something that Saraf and all Israeli basketball players strive to be a part of and while he would have liked to be able to feature for the blue-and-white this summer during World Cup qualifying, he was unable to due to obligations with the Nets. However, playing for the national team is of utmost importance and there is no question that during the bigger tournaments Saraf will be able to take part and play alongside Deni Avdija.

“It’s a huge dream. Honestly, whenever I play for the national team, that’s when I enjoy basketball the most. Those tournaments are the most fun for me and it’s always an incredible experience. I’m also really excited to watch the youth national teams, they’re doing an amazing job. I think we have a lot of talented prospects and that we can become a really strong national team in the future. I’m very excited about that.”

As for expectations this season, both on a personal level and for his team, Saraf has a number of objectives that he would like to meet, “I think this year we want to win as many games as possible. Last season, there were more opportunities for the younger players and I think that really helped all of us. But this year it’s about winning. Whoever helps the team win is going to play. So for me, it’s about earning minutes, earning the coaching staff’s trust and being as impactful as I can.”

For Saraf, there are also specific goals and dreams as well, “Making the playoffs is definitely a dream. I think this year our team has been built well and I really believe we can do it. That’s our goal.”

Sraaf did have some tough moments last season which included being sent down to the G-League for a bit, but came back to finish the season strong. This was just a small hurdle for the guard and one that he was proud of being able to accomplish.

“It was really important for me to prove to myself that I was capable, even if I had to take a step back. I wanted to stay mentally strong and I think by the end of the season I was playing much better and had some good games. But the goal now is to start next season already playing a meaningful role with the team.”

Being a part of the NBA allows Saraf the chance to play against some of the world’s best basketball players and also allows him to have a front row seats to some of the league’s biggest transactions.

“I think every year it’s crazy, but ever since the Luka Doncic trade from Dallas to the Lakers, it’s on another level. It really shows that anyone can be traded from their team at any point. Even Lebron James is now in the Eastern Conference.”

While life in the NBA may be exhilarating and exciting, Saraf still misses some things from home in Israel, “No question, the beach, the fruit and the weather”