Nets' Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf bring new wave of Jewish talent to NBA
Brooklyn drafted Saraf and Wolf with consecutive picks at Nos. 26 and 27, instantly doubling the league's Jewish player count from two to four, joining Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija and Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis. Amari Bailey, who played for the G League Long Island Nets last season, also identifies as Jewish.
Advertisement
'To be honest, it's fantastic, the way it just worked out,' Nets general manager Sean Marks said. 'If you think about it, the game of basketball is such a worldly game, played all over the globe. … What I will say is, there's talent everywhere, and that's our job, to bring in the best talent regardless of race, ethnicity and so forth.'
In 2023, the UJA-Federation of New York reported approximately 1.4 million Jews in the New York area. Brooklyn, the most crowded Jewish borough with about one-third of this population, now features two prominent ambassadors in Saraf and Wolf.
Jacob Gurvis of Jewish Community Voice reports that Saraf, the son of two former Israeli professional basketball players, wears No. 77, symbolizing the Hebrew word 'mazal,' which means luck. Wolf gained Israeli citizenship to compete for Israel at the FIBA U20 European Championship in Greece.
'It's definitely going to be unique having them both here and we're excited about that,' Marks said. 'I know the borough is excited about that. I know the Jewish community here is very excited about that, too.'
Advertisement
Saraf, the third point guard selected by the Nets on draft night, averaged 11.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.0 steals in 42 games for Ratiopharm Ulm last season. In 2023-24, he played for Elitzur Kiryat Ata in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, earning the league's top young prospect award. He was also named MVP of the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2024, leading the tournament with 28.1 points per game.
The 19-year-old believes his overseas professional experience will set him apart in Brooklyn.
'I've been playing pro for three years now, so I've played a lot of games so far,' Saraf said. 'I think it's going to be helpful knowing how to manage your body, to really stick to your routines and be willing to compete every night so things can translate the right away for the NBA.'
Wolf, the Nets' only non-guard pick in 2025, averaged 13.2 points, 3.6 assists and 1.4 blocks per game at Michigan last season, leading the Wolverines to a Big Ten Tournament title and a Sweet 16 appearance. Previously, he earned All-Ivy League honors at Yale over two seasons. The 21-year-old also helped Israel secure a silver medal at the 2023 FIBA U20 European Championship in Greece, where he practiced with Saraf.
Advertisement
'I think just the jump I made from Yale to Michigan and now — obviously the NBA is a different animal and going to have to keep working on a lot of different things, but I think there's just a lot of different things I can do on a basketball court,' Wolf said. 'Whatever coach Jordi and the staff want me to do, I'm going to do to the best of my ability, while still working and developing to become that kind of player.'
Beyond their Jewish heritage and tireless work ethic, positional versatility connects Saraf, Wolf and Brooklyn's 2025 draft class. Marks credits David Blatt, a former NBA head coach and Israeli American basketball executive, for aiding in identifying Saraf and Wolf during the draft process.
'I think words of wisdom are always important,' Marks said. 'I have a lot of respect for Coach Blatt, as a person, as a coach. And when we do our due diligence, you want to watch the players themselves, but also you need to know all the things that you didn't know. And everything was very positive coming from coach Blatt. He really liked these two guys, and he knew them pretty well. So, he really helped us and finally we were lucky enough to get them both here.'
Now teammates in Brooklyn, Saraf and Wolf have the opportunity to represent Israel on basketball's biggest stage. Though both are considered developmental projects — Saraf must improve his outside shooting, and Wolf needs to clean up turnover issues — their future looks promising. On a rebuilding Nets team, they could make an immediate impact.
Advertisement
'I think I really enjoyed watching Ben overseas,' Marks said. 'We went over to watch him live a couple of times, so it was great to watch how hard he competes. I think that was something that really stood out, passing ability, pride on defense. I think he's playing at a high level over there.
'Danny, I think we already sort of talked a little about the high IQ and a skill set that's very unique for a person his size. So, to see him out there, other teams continue trying to figure out, well, how do we stop him? Who do we guard him with? What system do we put around him? And that's a unique problem to have, right? How do we use both of those young men to the best of their abilities and watch them grow and so forth.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
13 minutes ago
- New York Times
Reds' Terry Francona joins ‘baseball royalty' as 13th manager with 2,000 wins: C. Notes
CINCINNATI — After the Cincinnati Reds' first win of the season, Reds reliever Emilio Pagán wanted to keep the ball to commemorate his first save of the season. But when catcher Jose Trevino suggested he give it to manager Terry Francona as a souvenir from his first victory as the Reds' manager. Nobody had to tell Pagán what to do with the ball after his 20th save of the season. He immediately handed it to Francona, who had just recorded his 2,000th career win as a big-league manager. Advertisement 'I was going to make sure that he got it right away,' Pagán said following the Reds' 4-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday. 'I wasn't going to be in charge of that one.' Francona, 66, became the 13th manager in major league history to reach the 2,000 win mark. All of the managers with more wins — except for Dusty Baker and Bruce Bochy, who is still managing — are in the Hall of Fame. Baker, Bochy and Francona will certainly join the other 2,000-game winners in Cooperstown. For Francona, though, Sunday was much like the other 3,718 games he's managed in his career. 'I don't know if you would really believe me, but I wanted to win today so bad to get us three games over .500, and I was so nervous about that because we got a break now and the guys can regroup,' Francona said. 'I don't think I've ever tried to delude myself — I mean, some of those names up there are kind of like baseball royalty. I'm … if there's an adjective for a baseball lifer, that's me. I'm not overly smart — I'm a second-semester freshman at Arizona still. I just love the game.' Francona said he hadn't given much thought to winning his 2,000th game leading up to Sunday, but his players had. Reds reliever Brent Suter said he noticed that Francona had 1,950 wins when the Reds hired Francona and he immediately thought about being on the field for Francona's 2,000th win. Knowing Francona needed 50 wins to get to 2,000, Suter said he hoped they'd get it for Francona before the All-Star break. 'We waited for the very end, but we got it in the first half and it was just such a special moment,' Suter said. As soon as the game was over, the Reds congratulated Francona on the scoreboard, shot off extra fireworks and every player shook his hand. Then the Reds played a six-minute video that had congratulatory messages from the likes of David Ortiz and Joe Torre, among others. That 2,000th moment. #Tito2K — Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 13, 2025 Francona then went into the clubhouse, where the team congratulated him before he addressed his players. 'It's not often I get a little choked up, and that hit me pretty hard,' Francona said. 'It's a good place. There's a lot of good people here … It's a good place. Actually, let me amend that — it's a great place.' Advertisement Francona enjoyed a year off after leaving the Cleveland Guardians following the 2023 season before he was approached by the Reds. Just days later, he was named the team's manager. He is the third manager with 2,000 wins to manage the Reds, along with Baker and Sparky Anderson. Veteran starter Nick Martinez improved to 7-9 after allowing two runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings. When he came into the postgame news conference, Martinez wore a red t-shirt that read 'Tito 2K,' referring to Francona's nickname. 'It's very special for me,' said Martinez, who got a lineup card from Sunday's game and has already picked out a place at home to hang it. 'We're having a lot of fun playing for him and coming out and doing our best to win ball games and that's what he's all about. He's about winning and having fun.' In his 24 seasons as a manager, Francona has done plenty of both, owning two World Series rings and three Manager of the Year awards. Francona has now won 2,000 games and lost 1,719. Each one has been something akin to life and death for Francona, who was already talking about beating the New York Mets on Friday after the All-Star break. Francona's first win was April 1, 1997, with the Philadelphia Phillies, with Curt Schilling earning the win for the Phillies and Ricky Bottalico getting the save. Scott Rolen drove in one of the Phillies' three runs. When asked if his 24 seasons and nearly 4,000 games have gone by quickly, Francona responded with his typical humor. 'Have you seen my body?' said Francona, who has had so many surgeries that he has lost count. 'It's like I was in the Vietnam War — maybe the Korean War.' But he followed that with his emotional side. 'I love coming to the ballpark,' Francona said. 'It's well-documented that I needed to step away (in Cleveland.) Coming here with the people here has been a blessing for me and I know that.' Advertisement Playing every game and every inning is something Elly De La Cruz values, never wanting to come out of the game, Francona said. De La Cruz has played in all 97 of the Reds' games this season. Last year he played in 160 games. After the celebration for Francona on Sunday, players packed, trying to get to the airport to begin the only multi-day break scheduled from February to October. But De La Cruz, who leads the Reds in innings with 32 more than center fielder TJ Friedl, will instead go to Atlanta for the All-Star Game festivities. So will lefty Andrew Abbott. Francona scheduled an optional workout in New York on Thursday, ahead of the Reds' start of the second half of the season Friday at the Mets' Citi Field. Francona said he made sure all the players knew it was truly optional, but he knew several players were scheduled to be in New York by Thursday. It is not optional for De La Cruz and Abbott, though; it's forbidden. 'I told the All-Star guys, 'I don't want to see you,'' Francona said. 'They're going to have a workout Monday and then play Tuesday, so I don't want to see those guys. It's not a test — we're trying to help our guys the best we can.' Francona said he's excited for both players to go to the All-Star Game and soak it all in. 'I would never tell somebody not to go,' Francona said. 'It's a huge honor, but I'll be holding my breath. … I wish they had more chances to relax and enjoy, because it's a huge honor. Just from being there as a manager and a coach, they don't have two seconds and you worry about them getting tired.' The Reds optioned infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand to Triple-A Louisville following Friday night's loss to the Rockies and activated outfielder Jake Fraley. Players who are optioned have three days to report to their minor-league team and players often take it to clear their head after being sent down. Advertisement Encarnacion-Strand used the Bats' proximity of playing in Columbus, Ohio, to report to the Bats on Saturday. Not only did he play, he had an RBI single in the Bats' 3-2 loss. On Sunday, he went 2-for-4 with a double in the Bats' 7-2 victory. 'It was really good because there's going to be a break, so he's not taking a whole week off,' Francona said. 'That's really smart.' Encarnacion-Strand came off the injured list on June 6, going 3-for-5 with a game-tying home run and a walk-off single. He homered in each of his first three games. Since then, he's had just two extra-base hits, a home run and a double, while going 11-for-60 (.183) with 17 strikeouts and just one walk, giving him an on-base percentage of .206. The Reds had two participants in Saturday's Futures Game, which has been truncated to seven innings in recent years. Sal Stewart, an infielder at Double-A Chattanooga, flew out in his only at-bat. He was followed in the batting order by catcher Alfredo Duno, who grounded out. Duno, who is at Class-A Daytona, caught two innings. Stewart wore a two-way microphone and was interviewed while in the field for an inning. The Reds went 4-3, losing the first two to the Miami Marlins before winning the next two. After losing the opener in their series against baseball's worst team, the Colorado Rockies, the Reds came back in the ninth inning to walk-off the Rockies on Saturday before taking the series with Sunday's victory. The Reds enter the break three games over .500 at 50-47, and sit 7.5 games behind the first-place Cubs in the NL Central. The Reds are just three games back in the hunt for the third wild-card spot. De La Cruz and Abbott will head to the All-Star Game in Atlanta, while the rest of the team will get a break until starting a three-game series in New York against the Mets. Lefty Nick Lodolo, who has had quality starts in 13 of his 19 starts this year, will start the first game of the second half, Friday at Citi Field. He'll be followed by Martinez and Abbott. Brady Singer and Chase Burns will start the first two games in Washington, D.C., against the Washington Nationals. Advertisement • RHP Hunter Greene (right groin strain) is scheduled to throw a bullpen in Arizona on Monday or Tuesday. He will stay in Arizona until he is ready for a rehab assignment, though he could make one start there. • RHP Carson Spiers (right shoulder impingement) didn't allow a run in his 3 2/3 innings Sunday for Triple-A Louisville. He allowed one hit, walked four and struck out five. He threw 72 pitches, 39 strikes. • IF/OF Tyler Callihan (broken left forearm) recently had surgery on his left wrist and has returned to Arizona for rehab. Callihan, who underwent surgery to repair two broken bones in his forearm after crashing into a wall in Atlanta, is likely done for the year. Surgery now will allow him to be at full strength this offseason and next spring. • LHP Wade Miley (left flexor strain) has resumed throwing. He could still return this season. • RHP Rhett Lowder (right forearm strain/left oblique strain) is still rehabbing in Arizona. • Triple-A Louisville (40-53): Saturday, RHP Zach Maxwell struck out four Columbus Clippers in the eighth inning, becoming the first Reds minor leaguer to strike out four in a single inning since Graham Osman at Class-A Daytona in 2023. Maxwell, who had an excellent spring with the big-league club, now has 38 strikeouts in 25 innings with five saves. His ERA is 5.14 • Double-A Chattanooga (46-37): OF Héctor Rodríguez had his 25th multi-hit game on Friday, going 2-for-5. He's second in the Southern League in multi-hit games behind only teammate Sal Stewart (30). Rodríguez is hitting .298/.357/.481 with 12 home runs and 45 RBI in 82 games. Rodríguez's 58 runs lead the Southern League (followed by Stewart with 51). His 93 hits are second in the league (Stewart has 90, good for third) as is his .298 average (and again, he's bested only by Stewart's .306.) Rodríguez is also second in the league in slugging (.481) and fifth in OPS (.838.) Advertisement • High-A Dayton (28-57): IF/OF Anthony Stephan went 3-for-7 in Saturday's doubleheader, including a three-run homer in the second game. A 13th-round pick out of Virginia last season, Stephan is hitting .272/.382/.445 with four home runs and 14 doubles for the Dragons in 53 games this season. • Class-A Daytona (41-44): Before leaving for the Futures Game, Duno extended his on-base streak to 36 games with three hits on Thursday. It's the longest streak in the Florida State League this season. Over the streak, Duno is hitting .304/.470/.456 with three homers and 10 doubles. He's walked more times (38) than he's struck out (33). The streak accounts for exactly half of his season. In his first 36 games, he hit .231/.346/.431 with 20 walks and 36 strikeouts. On the season, he's hitting .267/.410/.443 with seven home runs, 20 doubles and a pair of triples to go with 47 RBI. He has 58 walks and 69 strikeouts on the season.
Washington Post
17 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Chelsea's Cole Palmer wins Golden Ball as top player at Club World Cup
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer earned the Golden Ball as the top player at the Club World Cup after scoring three goals, including two in the 3-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the final on Sunday. Palmer, a 23-year-old who joined the Blues from Manchester City two years ago, scored the game's first two goals and assisted on Chelsea's third goal by João Pedro. Palmer also scored in the 2-1 quarterfinal victory over Palmeiras.
Washington Post
18 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Realmuto doubles in Harper in the 8th as the Phillies beat the Padres 2-1
SAN DIEGO — J.T. Realmuto doubled in Bryce Harper with the go-ahead run with two outs in the eighth inning and Cristopher Sánchez was impressive for 7 1/3 innings as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the San Diego Padres 2-1 on Sunday to prevent a three-game sweep. Sánchez (8-2) got a nice ovation from several hundred Phillies fans sitting behind the third-base dugout after manager Rob Thomson lifted him with one out in the eighth. He held the Padres to one run and six hits while striking out six and walking three. With the Padres ceding most of the left side of the infield and All-Star lefty reliever Adrian Morejon (7-4) pitching, the left-handed Harper sent a hard shot a few feet inside the third base line that rolled into left field. David Morgan came on and struck out Nick Castellanos before Realmuto doubled into the gap in left-center to bring in Harper. Morgan shouted into his glove in frustration. Harper scored both Phillies runs, the first one coming in the first when the Padres committed two errors. He drew a two-out walk off Nick Pivetta, advanced on All-Star third baseman Manny Machado's throwing error and Realmuto's infield single, and scored on first baseman Luis Arraez's throwing error. The Padres tied it in the sixth when Jose Iglesias singled off the glove of diving second baseman Bryson Stott to bring in Machado. Pivetta struck out eight and allowed one unearned run and three hits in 6 2/3 innings, with two walks. After intentionally walking All-Star Fernando Tatis Jr. to put two runners on in the ninth, former Padres reliever Matt Strahm got Arraez to line out to left for his sixth save. The teams split the season series 3-3, with each going 2-1 at home. The Phillies open a three-game home series against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night. The Padres start a three-game series at Washington on Friday night. ___ AP MLB:
