|
Tel Aviv is the home of some of the best sports teams in Israel, including an excellent basketball team. Hapoel Tel Aviv Sports Club was established in 1923 and competes in over 11 games, including Hapoel Tel Aviv basketball club, which has won five Israeli championships and four Israeli cups. Basketball in Tel Aviv is very much professional and more of a culture than sports. Maccabi basketball club in Tel Aviv literally dominates Israeli basketball. The club has won 46 national championship titles and 36 national cups. The club is also listed among the best basketball teams in Europe, having won the European cup five times and finishing runners up seven times. Maccabi basketball club was established in mid 1930s. The club won the first Israeli basketball league in 1954 and has dominated the league thereafter. The team has never finished below third place in the national league. Maccabi Tel Aviv’s rival is cross-town team Hapoel Tel Aviv. During the 1980s, the club has reached and lost European finals five times. Maccabi has hosted the European cup final in 1972 and Euro league final twice. Hapoel basketball club is the second largest of its kind in Israel. The club was formed in 1935. The fifteen years following the foundation of the Israeli national league in 1954 are still considered as the golden age in the club’s history. During this time, it has won most of its trophies and emerged as the best basketball tea in Israel. After that, the club failed to repeat its past success. The local derby matches between Maccabi and Hapoel were always the most prestigious games in Israeli sports. Often, these games were accompanied with Hooliganism. The Israeli national team has participated 23 times in the European championship tournament. The team is currently ranked 23rd in the world by FIBA.
|
