From the Liveblog of
Saturday, April 12, 2025
Hapoel Tel Aviv defeats Spanish basketball team to win its first ever EuroCup
Hapoel Tel Aviv defeats Gran Canaria to win the EuroCup, marking the first time the Israeli squad has won the basketball tournament.
With the victory, Hapoel secures a spot in next year’s EuroLeague, the top-tier men’s basketball league in Europe.
Ofer Yannay, who owns Hapoel, revels in the win, noting his team defeated both Gran Canaria and fellow Spanish squad Valencia on the way to the title. Spain has been a leading European critic of Israel over its conduct in the Gaza war against Hamas.
“In my view we defeated Hamas,” says Yannay in remarks widely quoted by Hebrew media outlets. “They tried to break our spirit but did not succeed.”
The 2024-2025 EuroCup Champions…@HapoelTLVBC ????#RoadToGreatness pic.twitter.com/cY1aFmuSKq
— BKT EuroCup (@EuroCup) April 11, 2025
The Times of Israel Community.