The Israeli basketball community lost of one of its own as Lior Lubin passed away at the age of 46. The former player and coach had been battling cancer over the last while and succumbed to the devastating illness this past weekend. Lubin, who coached Hapoel Beer Sheva last season stepped down right before this year’s campaign to tend to the illness that eventually took his young life.

Lubin, who was born in 1977, began his playing career with Maccabi Ramat Gan and moved up from the youth department to the senior team as one of the up and coming stars of the club. He also attended Blich High School where he led the team to the 1995 championship and was named as the league’s MVP while also leading the team to 3rd place in the World School Championship.

After five seasons with Ramat Gan, the guard moved to Maccabi Tel Aviv for a season which was followed up by a year with Hapoel Tel Aviv before embarking on a European career until 2007. Lubin also was a stalwart with the Israel National Team making 66 apperamaces and also was named as an assistant on Erez Edelstein’s staff in 2014.

Lubin began his second career as a coach in 2008 where he worked as Oded Katash’s assistant while winning the Israeli league title in 2010 with Hapoel Gilboa Galil over Maccabi Tel Aviv before taking over the reins himself though 2013. From there Lubin also led Hapoel Holon, Maccabi Ashdod, Ness Ziona, Hapoel Beer Sheva and Gilboa Galil once again where he took the team to the 2020 Finals and lost in a decisive third game against Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Lubin also served as an assistant with Maccabi Tel Aviv and in 2021 with Panathinaikos in Greece where he was part of the club that won the Greek State Cup and the league championship together with Katash.

Miki Zohar, the Sports and Culture minister said, “Lior Lubin was an excellent basketball coach and extraordinary player, this is an awful loss. Aside from his wonderful career as both a player and coach, he was a fantastic personality in the Israeli basketball world, quiet and a true professional that took his teams to the highest of heights. May his memory be a blessing.”

Ramat Gan Chairman Chen Schneiderman said, “First, our sincere condolences from the bottom of our hearts to the entire Lubin family. The news is a black day for basketball fans in Israel, for the club club where Lior and I both grew up in. As a young player at Maccabi Ramat Gan I grew up and admired Lior all these years. I remember very well the year when played for both the Maccabi Ramat Gan youth team and the Blich High School team. Lior was a very humble person, very talented and well-liked by all those around him. I am having a hard time digesting this terrible news.”