Particle.news
Download on the App Store
3 ARTICLES
·
8h ago

Brooklyn Nets Draft Two Jewish Players in Back-to-Back Picks

The selections aim to help the Nets rebuild ties with the local Jewish community after the Kyrie Irving scandal

Israeli Ben Saraf, left, a 19-year-old currently playing in the German professional league, and Israeli-American Danny Wolf, a 7-footer from the University of Michigan, were picked by the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA draft, June 25, 2025. (Getty Images)

Overview

  • The Nets used the 26th and 27th picks in the 2025 NBA Draft to select Israeli point guard Ben Saraf and Michigan big man Danny Wolf in rapid succession.
  • Saraf, 19, starred for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany, averaged 12.8 points and 4.6 assists this season, and wears No. 77 as a nod to the Hebrew word mazal, meaning luck.
  • Wolf, a 7-footer who averaged 13.2 points and 9.7 rebounds at Michigan, obtained Israeli citizenship to play for Israel’s under-20 team and celebrated on the podium with tears of joy.
  • Their back-to-back selection marks the first Jewish player tandem on an NBA roster since 2017 and doubles the league’s active Jewish population from two to four.
  • The Nets plan to bring Saraf over immediately and view both picks as cornerstones of a rebuild focused on youth development and community engagement.