Israeli hoopsters Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf taken by Nets in first round of NBA draft

Rebuilding Brooklyn team takes Israel-born teen guard, proud Jewish Michigan forward with back-to-back picks, putting them on track to join Deni Avdija in US pro basketball league

Israel-born basketball player Ben Saraf and Israeli-American hoopster Danny Wolf were selected in back-to-back picks by the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the NBA draft Wednesday night, potentially making them the first Israeli duo on a National Basketball League court.

Saraf and Illinois-born Wolf, who acquired Israeli citizenship in 2023 to join the national team for the FIBA U20 European Championship in Greece, were selected with the 26th and 27th picks respectively.

The two now stand to join the Portland Trail Blazers’ Deni Avdija as the only Israelis on the NBA hardwood.

A passing phenom at just 19, the six-foot six-inch Saraf comes into the NBA as a highly touted guard after spending the last year with German club Ratiopharm Ulm, where he averaged over 12 points and four assists per game.

The club is set to play a decisive game five tonight against Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga championship, keeping Saraf from attending the draft in New York.

A native of Moshav Ometz near Netanya, Saraf began playing professionally with Elitzur Netanya at age 16, quickly moving on to Kiryat Ata and leading the team to a cup semifinal.

Ratiopharm Ulm guard Ben Saraf, left, dribbles past Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson during the first half of an exhibition game in Portland, Ore., Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP/Craig Mitchelldyer)

He burst onto the NBA radar last summer after earning MVP honors at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket, averaging 28.1 points, 5.3 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals for Israel.

Wolf, a 21-year-old forward, turned heads while leading the University of Michigan to the Sweet 16 in the 2025 NCAA Men’s College Basketball tourney. Called unique for his shooting and passing skills despite having the nearly seven-foot frame of a center, he also drew notice for proudly displaying his Jewish heritage on and off the court.

Danny Wolf shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected 27th by the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in New York. (AP/Adam Hunger)

Wolf attended Jewish day school until fifth grade, keeps kosher, and had his bar mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

Prior to transferring to Michigan’s top-tier program last year, Wolf played basketball for Yale University and experienced antisemitism in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror onslaught on Israel, he said.

He was one of several Israeli or Jewish players and coaches to make deep runs in this year’s March Madness tourney, including Israel-born Emanuel Sharp, who was widely expected to declare for the draft but is instead returning to his University of Houston Cougars for another shot at the title. Sharp and the Cougars lost the championship game to the Florida Gators, coached by Israeli-American Todd Golden.

Danny Wolf #1 of the Michigan Wolverines shoots against Tyler McGhie #13, Aidan Burke #20 and Chris Howell #8 of the UC San Diego Tritons during the first half in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Ball Arena on March 20, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. The Michigan Wolverines won 68-65. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP)

As expected, the Dallas Mavericks used their No. 1 pick in the draft to take Duke’s Cooper Flagg (who had been coached by another Israel-American, Jon Scheyer).

Through trades and other moves, the wheeling-dealing Nets not only hosted the draft, but also controlled one-sixth of the 30 first-round picks. The team, in the middle of a major rebuild, took BYU’s Egor Demin at No. 8, and added French guard Nolan Traore at No. 19 and North Carolina’s Drake Powell at No. 22 (once a three-way trade with Boston and Atlanta is complete) before snagging Saraf and Wolf.

The draft will resume at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Thursday night.