{"id":180972,"date":"2026-06-06T19:33:42","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T19:33:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/?p=180972"},"modified":"2026-06-06T19:33:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T19:33:42","slug":"we-have-unfinished-business-from-last-season-jerusalem-star-justin-smith-in-a-special-interview-ahead-of-the-semifinals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/en\/we-have-unfinished-business-from-last-season-jerusalem-star-justin-smith-in-a-special-interview-ahead-of-the-semifinals\/","title":{"rendered":"We have unfinished business from last season: Jerusalem star Justin Smith in a special interview ahead of the semifinals"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Justin Smith first signed in Israel, basketball diehards weren\u2019t quite sure what to make of him. On one hand, he wasn\u2019t tall or big enough to be a \u201cclassic\u201d center. On the other, he wasn\u2019t a threat from beyond the arc. So what exactly could be expected from him?<\/p>\n

Nearly three years have passed since then. Smith moved from Hapoel Holon to Hapoel Jerusalem and has become a key part of the team. In a special interview ahead of the semifinal series, he talks about life in Israel during the war, the traumatic loss to Turk Telekom, his relationship with Yonatan Alon, and revisits exactly what happened before his huge basket against Maccabi Tel Aviv in last year\u2019s final.
\n

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Justin Smith and Jared Harper – Photo Credit: Yehuda Halickman<\/p><\/div>
\nBut first, I asked Justin to summarize the season in two words.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe first thing that comes to mind is \u2018very difficult.\u2019 It was a season somewhat similar to other seasons I\u2019ve experienced here, but also different. There was the EuroCup elimination and a lot of other things happened. There were extreme highs and lows. We finally managed to return to playing EuroCup games in Israel, at home, and then the war started. After that came the quarterfinal loss. It was a very turbulent period. I think \u2018ups and downs\u2019 is a good way to describe the season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israel is not an easy country and the last three years have been among the most difficult in its history. I grew up here, so in some ways I\u2019m used to it, but for you it\u2019s different. What\u2019s it like living in Israel?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d say that in my first year here, I was thrown straight into that complexity. October 7 happened about a month and a half after I arrived in Israel. Since then, I think I\u2019ve just gotten used to it. You learn to accept reality as it is. But despite all the complexities, Israel has been my home for the last three years, and I enjoy living here. I\u2019ve simply learned to adapt to the environment.\u201d
\n

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Justin Smith – Photo Credit: Yehuda Halickman<\/p><\/div>
\nA year ago, in the final against Maccabi, you scored one of the biggest baskets in club history. What were you thinking when the coach drew up the play? And what did you feel immediately afterward?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the coach drew up the play, I honestly thought I was just going to be a decoy. I didn\u2019t think the alley-oop would be there. The play was designed for me to draw two defenders to the rim so Jared Harper would get an open shot. But I stayed open and Roi Huber made an incredible pass. That basket gave us momentum heading into overtime and in overtime we managed to win. After the victory, what I mainly felt was relief.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few hours later, the entire country woke up to sirens during the Iranian attack. Where were you when the alarms started?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI was just sitting at home when the sirens began. At first, I thought to myself, \u2018Okay, it\u2019s not that bad. Maybe I\u2019ll go to the safe room.\u2019 But then I checked Twitter and said to myself, \u2018Wow, this is different.\u2019\u201d
\n

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Justin Smith – Photo Credit: Yehuda Halickman<\/p><\/div>
\nWere you scared?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I was scared. I think that was the most afraid I\u2019ve been since October 7. Over time, you get used to the sirens. You go into the safe room, come out afterward and nothing happened. My family called and asked what was going on and whether I was okay. I told them, \u2018I\u2019m okay. I\u2019ll be okay. It looks bad, but everything will probably be fine.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

This season was interrupted again because of the war. Where were you this time?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI had flown home during the national team break and was on my way back, but I missed my flight. Around three in the morning, I got the alerts. I thought to myself that it was crazy. Then I saw that the plane I was supposed to be on had turned around mid-flight, somewhere over Italy or Greece and gone back.\u201d
\n

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Justin Smith – Photo credit: Dov Halickman<\/p><\/div>
\nWas there a difference between experiencing it from inside Israel and seeing it from the outside?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it\u2019s really strange. When you\u2019re here, it feels less dramatic. But when you\u2019re outside the country, even if you\u2019ve already lived here, you get swept up a little by the American media. You tell yourself, \u2018Wow, this looks bad.\u2019 It was a very strange experience because I had never experienced it from the outside before. Now I understand much better why people back home are always asking if I\u2019m okay and what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Was it easy to decide to return to Israel?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it wasn\u2019t an easy decision. But I\u2019m glad I made it. The main thing for me was that I already know what life is like here. I\u2019ve been through this several times before, and I know I can handle it. I told my family I was coming back, and they had to accept it. So no, it wasn\u2019t an easy decision, but I\u2019m happy I returned.\u201d
\n

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Justin Smith – Photo credit: Dov Halickman<\/p><\/div>
\nYou came back from the break and are perhaps playing the best basketball of your career. What changed?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe way the EuroCup season ended was, for me, one of the hardest experiences I\u2019ve ever gone through in basketball. Maybe the toughest loss I\u2019ve ever experienced. I know everyone in the club felt it, and so did the fans. It was just devastating. Obviously, you can\u2019t get that game back, but I wanted to make up for what happened\u2014or at least do the only thing you can do: try to win and play better. Even now, months later, that loss still hurts.\u201d<\/p>\n

You were named Sixth Man of the Year. What does that award mean to you? And how do you feel about that role on the team?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s nice to get recognition. No matter what field it\u2019s in, it\u2019s always nice when people appreciate what you do. But the thing I\u2019m most proud of is that I accepted my role and was able to excel in it. When you\u2019re growing up, you\u2019re taught that you should start in the lineup, but last season I actually became very comfortable coming off the bench. I carried that into this season and told myself, \u2018This is my role.\u2019 It allows me to focus on what the team needs from me.\u201d
\n

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Justin Smith – Photo Credit: Yehuda Halickman<\/p><\/div>
\nTell us a little about your relationship with Yonatan Alon.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s my guy. He lets me be myself and I really appreciate that. He has a personal relationship with each one of us. That\u2019s something I value a lot in coaches. Honestly, at this level, you don\u2019t always find that. I think he genuinely cares about each of us as people, and that\u2019s special.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve seen all the rumors about the head coaching position for next season. What do you think about them?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I\u2019ve seen the rumors. But I don\u2019t pay too much attention to them. Right now, I\u2019m focused on the playoffs and trying to win a championship. Whatever happens in the summer will happen in the summer. At the moment, all that matters to us is finishing this season in the best way possible.\u201d
\n

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Justin Smith – Photo credit: Yehuda Halickman<\/p><\/div>
\nYou\u2019ll be a free agent this summer. Would you like to stay in Israel, maybe in Jerusalem next season as well?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAs I said, Israel has been my home for the last three years. I\u2019ve really enjoyed living here. It\u2019s a great club. They\u2019ve treated me exceptionally well throughout my time here. We have great fans, and this place means a lot to me. But again, I\u2019m not focused on next season right now. I\u2019m focused on finishing this season strong, and then we\u2019ll see what happens in the summer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you believe Hapoel Jerusalem can win the championship?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYes. Absolutely. I think we\u2019ve shown throughout the season how good we can be, especially when the pressure is high. I think we can compete with any team, and we\u2019ve shown that all year long. I\u2019m very excited about this opportunity and hope we can finish the job. We have unfinished business from last season.\u201d
\n

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Justin Smith – Photo credit: Dov Halickman<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Justin Smith first signed in Israel, basketball diehards weren\u2019t quite sure what to make of him. On one hand, he wasn\u2019t tall or big enough to be a \u201cclassic\u201d center. On the other, he wasn\u2019t a threat from beyond the arc. So what exactly could be expected from him? Nearly three years have passed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":180963,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[96,5943],"class_list":["post-180972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-holy-land-hoops","tag-hapoel-jerusalem","tag-justin-smith","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nWe have unfinished business from last season: Jerusalem star Justin Smith in a special interview ahead of the semifinals - Sports Rabbi<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/en\/we-have-unfinished-business-from-last-season-jerusalem-star-justin-smith-in-a-special-interview-ahead-of-the-semifinals\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"We have unfinished business from last season: Jerusalem star Justin Smith in a special interview ahead of the semifinals - Sports Rabbi\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When Justin Smith first signed in Israel, basketball diehards weren\u2019t quite sure what to make of him. 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