From Deadspin on sports, I’ve discovered this story about Tamir Goodman… Folks that have been following basketball for more than 10 years will remember Goodman, the so-called “Jewish Jordan,” who excited many by winning a high school All-Star MVP award and then playing NCAA basketball at Maryland. He ultimately left college partly because he wouldn’t play on the Sabbath.
Evidently, Goodman is currently playing in a semi-pro league in Israel and is more interested in being an observant Jew than worrying about playing in the NBA.
If you have any questions about Jews playing NCAA basketball, you can check here. Believe it or not, there are almost 30 playing Division 1 basketball (naturally, playing at places such as Yale, Princeton, and Stanford).
I noticed an important name missing from that list is John Scheyer who starts at Duke as a Freshman. Scheyer played in Northbrook, Illinois and my brother-in-law, Daryl, actually coached him during his early years.
Not to be confused with the Jordan name, one of the better-known Jewish basketball players is Jordan Farmar, who has a Jewish mother, a black father, and a Jewish step-father. Farmar now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers…