Lone star Lone star

Mekel, the maverick model

Hoopster tries on sweaters for Renuar’s fall catalog

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By Jessica Steinberg

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16 September 2014, 4:37 pm Edit

Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center

Gal Mekel and his longtime girlfriend, Danyelle Sims, at a Renuar event (Courtesy Renuar)

There’s a new male model on the Israeli horizon, Israeli basketball player Gal Mekel, who plays for the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks.

Mekel, who will be featured in Renuar’s fall catalog, told celeb-follower Guy Pines that he did it to augment his Mavericks salary.

The former Maccabi Haifa player was Israel’s MVP after helping his team topple the perennial winner, Maccabi Tel Aviv. He reportedly signed a multi-year contract with the Mavericks.

He also told Pines that modeling was a little disconcerting, particularly when his fellow female models had to snuggle in close.

Mekel’s longtime, live-in girlfriend is model Danyelle Sims, daughter of basketball player Willie Sims, one of Maccabi Tel Aviv’s most famous team members.