Disciplines like baseball, basketball, swimming, and skating are relatively new in Israel, but many Jewish personalities have emerged at the top of the world in various sporting activities.
Sports betting such as Sbobet is highly regulated in the Jewish state, but this has not dampened the mood of thousands of fans who continue to follow and support their favorite teams and sports personalities.
Here are some of the Jewish sportspeople who have excelled on and off the field.
Ryan Braunryan
Ryan Braunryan, nicknamed ‘The Hammer’ in Hebrew, was born on 17 November 1983. His star shone first when he attended the University of Miami, where he became a two-time “All- American.”
In 2005, he entered the major league baseball draft (MLB) as the 5th best.
Braunryan’s speed and energetic hitting placed him as a five-tool player. His arm strength and proper sporting techniques ranked him at Number 7 in the list of the 50 best baseball players in 2012 by sporting news.
Sue Bird
Sue bird is a Jewish professional basketball player living in the US. She is a three times winner in the National Basketball Association (WNBA) finals in the year 2004, 2010 and 2018.
Bird also won the WNBA all-star games in the years 2002 to 2018, and she still represents her home country in international sports.
As a participant in the USA national team, Sue Bird holds four Olympic gold medals and has won four FIBA world cups.
Apart from basketball, she is also good at tennis, soccer, and other track and field games.
Shawn Green
Shawn Green is a Jewish American, born in 1972. He attended Stanford University under the baseball scholarship.
Green signed with Toronto Blue Jays after they considered him 16th in the 1991 amateur draft. He made his debut in the major league in 1993, where he was the second-youngest player.
The rookie season was in 1995, and he ranked the best player in the 1998’s Toronto lineup. In the same year, he was selected to the all-star games and bought by Los Angeles Dodgers in 1999 due to his field ability.
He played for the Dodgers between 2002 and 2004 and hit four home runs in a single game.
From 2005-2006, he played for the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York. After 15 major leagues, Green retired in 2007.
In 2013, he played and coached team Israel in the World Baseball qualifiers.
Jason Edward Lezak
Edward was born in November 1975. He is a former swimmer who holds four Olympic gold medals.
While most of his strength lies in 50 to 100-meter races, Edwards also holds world records in long-course, like the 400-meter and medley relays.
Lezak secured three bronze, one silver, and four gold medals in an incredible career that spanned over three Olympics.
Amy Alcott
Born in Arkansas, Missouri, Amy Alcott turned professional at the tender age of 18.
She has won many awards and is a cherished and respected golfer. Her illustrious career earned her a spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1999. She also won the Founders Cup in 1986, which recognized her positive contribution to society.
Alcott isn’t an architect, but she played a role in the design of the golf course for the Summer Olympics of 2016.
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Many of these top players were born outside Israel, but each is proud of their Jewish origins. In their individual sporting disciplines, each has brought glory to the Jewish state.
