The Brooklyn Nets have quickly become Israel’s team as the New York City basketball club selected not one but two Israelis in the first round of the NBA Draft. Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf were taken back-to-back with the 26th and 27th selections respectively at the annual entry draft at the Nets home arena, the Barclays Center in the Borough of Brooklyn.

Saraf, who is still in the midst of the German League Championship series with Ulm, did not attend the draft because of the 5th and deciding game against Bayern Munich on Thursday night was all smiles as he was surrounded by his family and agent in Germany.

“This is very exciting,” the 19-year old said minutes after learning where he would be playing next season. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for several years and now that it’s happening, I don’t know how to describe these feelings, it’s amazing. Did I think Brooklyn would pick me before? Yes, there were talks, they came to the see me a few times, they’ve been looking at me closely for a while and I’m very happy that I was drafted by the Nets.”

Saraf, who scored roughly 13 points and dished out 4.6 assists per game in the Eurocup this past season, had been on the cusp of being selected in first round with many draft experts listing him at the start of the second round just hours prior to the festivities in Brooklyn. However, the Nets snatched both Saraf and Wolf who fell to 27th overall with two of their five first round picks as the naturalized Israeli who burst onto the scene two year ago at the Under-20 European Championships showed his wares with Michigan this past season.

“It’s a surreal reward for years of hard work,” Wolf remarked. “I went from not playing much in the Ivy League (with Yale) to hearing my name called in the first round. I know how much this means back in Israel and I’m going to do everything I can to represent that on and off the court.”

Saraf and Wolf now join the ranks of a handful of other Israelis who have played in the greatest league in the world including Omri Casspi, Gal Mekel, TJ Leaf and Deni Avdija who was thrilled to see the pair taken in the first round and posted “Welcome to the League” on Instagram.

The pair of Jewish hoopsters were only two of the five players the Nets selected in the first round of the draft as General Manager Sean Marks and Head Coach Jordi Fernandez gathered together a United Nations of sorts. Russian sensation Egor Demin who played with BYU this past year was taken with the 8th pick, French floor general Nolan Traore who plied his trade with Saint Quentin was selected 19th while North Carolina swingman Drake Powell was picked with the 22nd selection as the Nets moved into full rebuild mode.

ESPN Draft guru Jonthan Givony compared Saraf to Nets guard D’Angelo Russell while other experts see Wolf similar in some aspects to Kelly Olynyk putting the pair in good company.

The Nets paid a steep price after trying to create a super team with Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving as they finished last season in 12th place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 26-56. However, with a treasure trove of draft picks Fernandez will have an opportunity to add some of his new young guns to a team that will most probably have a veteran core of Cam Thomas, Nic Claxton and Cameron Johnson.

Saraf and Wolf will be attending the NBA Summer League that will get into full swing in the middle of July and will both be ready to roll for training camp in the fall. It is still unclear if Saraf will play for the Israel National Team at the 2025 Eurobasket as he is listed on the expanded roster while Wolf, who is a naturalized Israeli was not selected due to a pair of other players who are ahead of him on the pecking order.

Regardless of Saraf’s availability, Israel Basketball Association Chairman Amos Frishman, was thrilled with the news. “This is a very joyful morning for Israeli basketball. I am excited that both Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf were selected in the NBA draft by the Brooklyn Nets and they will be joining Deni Avdija in the league. This is the first time in history that two Israelis have been selected in the same draft in the first round and I am sure that both of them will justify this choice. Ben Saraf has been a part of all of Israel’s national teams and has shown his immense talent over the years, while Danny Wolf was part of the Under-20 team’s campaign that reached the finals in 2023.”

Prior to playing with Ulm this season, the 6”6 Saraf was with Kiryat Ata in the Israel’s Premier League where he averaged over 10 points per game as an 18-year old while also having led the club to a shock win over Maccabi Tel Aviv helping him earn Rookie of the Year honors. Before that, the guard worked his way up at Elitzur Netanya in the country’s second division and played professionally at the age of 16.

Wolf who stands at 6”11 starred for the Wolverines this past year with 13.2 points , 9/7 rebounds and 3.6 assists top go along with 1.4 blocks per game, was with Yale for two seasons as he really made a name for himself at the U20 European Championships while helping the blue-and-white capture a silver medal.

“It will be amazing to play with Danny Wolf,” Saraf said just after the first round ended. “He’s amazing in terms of basketball as he is a very smart player. I always thought and imagined what it would be like to play with a player like that.”

“But now it’s on to Munich to take the championship. As for the draft, I am extremely happy and excited. Now is the time to get started.”