Gal Mekel facts for kids
Mekel with the Dallas Mavericks in 2013
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 4, 1988 Ramat HaSharon, Israel |
| Listed height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3.20 in) |
| Listed weight | 87 kg (192 lb) |
| Career information | |
| College | Wichita State (2006–2008) |
| NBA Draft | 2008 / Undrafted |
| Pro career | 2008–2022 |
| Career history | |
| 2008–2010 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| 2008–2010 | →Hapoel Gilboa Galil |
| 2010–2011 | Hapoel Gilboa Galil |
| 2011–2012 | Benetton Treviso |
| 2012–2013 | Maccabi Haifa |
| 2013–2014 | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2014 | →Texas Legends |
| 2014 | New Orleans Pelicans |
| 2015 | Nizhny Novgorod |
| 2015 | Crvena zvezda |
| 2016–2017 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| 2017–2018 | Gran Canaria |
| 2018–2019 | Zenit |
| 2019–2020 | Reggiana |
| 2020–2021 | Málaga |
| 2021–2022 | Andorra |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Gal Mekel is a former professional basketball player from Israel. He was born on March 4, 1988. Gal played for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA, and also spent many years playing for teams in Europe and Israel. He was known as a Point guard, a player who helps set up plays and passes the ball.
Gal played college basketball at Wichita State University for two years. After that, he played in the Israeli Super League for teams like Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hapoel Gilboa Galil, and Maccabi Haifa. He also played in Italy for Benetton Treviso. Gal was named the Israeli Super League MVP twice, in 2011 and 2013. He also led the Israeli Premier League in assists in 2011 and 2016.
In 2013, Gal signed a contract with the Dallas Mavericks, becoming only the second Israeli player to join the NBA. He also has a Polish passport.
Contents
- Early Life and Family
- College Basketball Journey
- Professional Basketball Career
- Starting with Maccabi Tel Aviv (2008)
- Playing for Hapoel Gilboa Galil (2008–2009)
- Back to Maccabi (2009)
- Second Time with Gilboa Galil (2009–2011)
- Time in Italy with Benetton Treviso (2011–2012)
- Winning with Maccabi Haifa (2012–2013)
- Playing in the NBA with Dallas Mavericks (2013–2014)
- Short Time with New Orleans Pelicans (2014)
- Moving to Russia and Serbia (2015)
- Third Time with Maccabi Tel Aviv (2016–2017)
- Playing in Spain with Gran Canaria (2017–2018)
- Time in Russia with Zenit Saint Petersburg (2018–2019)
- Back to Italy with Reggio Emilia (2019–2020)
- Playing in Spain with Unicaja Malaga (2020–2021)
- Final Team with MoraBanc Andorra (2021–2022)
- Playing for His Country
- Career Statistics
- See also
Early Life and Family
Gal Mekel is Jewish. He was born in Ramat HaSharon, Israel. His parents are Alon and Ariela Mekel. He grew up with four brothers and two sisters. Gal went to Alliance High School in Tel Aviv.
He started playing basketball in the youth team for Hapoel Tel Aviv. Soon after, he moved to the A.S. Ramat HaSharon youth team. There, he showed great skill at setting up plays for his teammates. His talent caught the attention of the big basketball club, Maccabi Tel Aviv. He joined them at age 17 and helped them win the Israeli Youth League in 2005–06.
Gal's father-in-law was Willie Sims, who was also a famous American-Israeli basketball player. Gal married Willie's daughter, Danyella.
College Basketball Journey
Gal Mekel played college basketball for two years at Wichita State University. In his first year (2006–07), he became a starter halfway through the season. He averaged about 4 points per game in his rookie year.
In his second season (2007–08), Gal improved his game a lot. He averaged 9.3 points and 3.7 assists per game. He played more than 30 minutes in each game. Even with his improvements, he decided to leave the team after that season.
Professional Basketball Career
Starting with Maccabi Tel Aviv (2008)
On March 28, 2008, Gal Mekel signed his first professional contract. He joined Maccabi Tel Aviv for the rest of the 2007–08 season.
Playing for Hapoel Gilboa Galil (2008–2009)
For the 2008–09 season, Maccabi Tel Aviv sent Gal to Hapoel Gilboa Galil. This Israeli club was known for helping young players get experience. Gal averaged 6.9 points and 2.7 assists per game there. He played very well in the playoffs, helping his team reach the Israeli Super League Final Four. They lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv in that final. Gal won the Israeli Super League Rising Star award for his great season.
Back to Maccabi (2009)
After his successful time with Galil, Gal returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv. He was meant to be the backup point guard behind Doron Perkins. In his first game back with Maccabi, he scored 13 points and had 5 assists. However, he wasn't getting much playing time. In December 2009, he asked to be sent out on loan again.
Second Time with Gilboa Galil (2009–2011)
Gal was loaned back to Gilboa/Galil. He shared the point guard role with Jeremy Pargo. Together, they led Galil to win their second Israeli Super League title. They surprised Maccabi Tel Aviv in the final game. Gal was a very important player for the team, averaging 7.5 points and 4.3 assists per game.
In 2010, Gal decided to stay with Galil for another year. He played with the team in the EuroLeague qualifying rounds. Gal led Galil to finish second in the regular season. They reached the league's final again, but this time they lost to Maccabi. Gal had an amazing individual season and won the Israeli Super League MVP award. He also led the Israeli Premier League in assists in 2011. He played in the 2011 BSL All-Star Game.
Time in Italy with Benetton Treviso (2011–2012)
On July 5, 2011, Gal signed a two-year contract with the Italian team Benetton Treviso. With Benetton, he reached the Last 16 stage of the 2011–12 EuroCup. He averaged 6.3 points and 3.7 assists per game in the Italian League. At the end of the season, the club stopped its main team activities.
Winning with Maccabi Haifa (2012–2013)
At the start of the 2012–13 season, Gal wanted to play for a team in European competitions. He also tried out for the Utah Jazz in the NBA. But he didn't get a good contract offer from the Jazz. So, he joined the Israeli club Maccabi Haifa. Gal led the team to finish second in the Israeli Super League regular season. They also reached the Israeli State Cup final, where they lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Haifa got another chance to win a championship that season. They reached the Israeli Super League final, which was played at their home court. The team won the championship! Gal had an amazing game with 21 points and 7 assists. He also won the Israeli League MVP award that night.
Playing in the NBA with Dallas Mavericks (2013–2014)
On July 11, 2013, the Dallas Mavericks signed Gal Mekel to a three-year contract. He became the second Israeli player to join the NBA. Gal played for the Mavericks in the 2013 NBA Summer League. He averaged 9.7 points and 5 assists per game there.
In his first regular season game for the Mavericks on October 30, 2013, Gal scored 2 points and had 3 assists. On November 1, 2013, two Israeli players played against each other in the NBA for the first time. Gal and the Mavericks played against Omri Casspi and the Rockets. Gal scored 11 points and had 6 assists in that game. On November 30, he started his first NBA game. He scored 6 points and had 7 assists. In January 2014, Gal had to go on the injured list because of a knee injury that needed surgery.
He spent some time playing for the Texas Legends in the NBA D-League to recover. On October 29, 2014, the Mavericks decided to let Gal go.
Short Time with New Orleans Pelicans (2014)
On December 5, 2014, Gal signed a two-year contract with the New Orleans Pelicans. However, he only played in four games for them. The Pelicans let him go on December 19.
Moving to Russia and Serbia (2015)
On February 24, 2015, Gal moved to Russia and signed with Nizhny Novgorod. He played for them until the end of the 2015–16 season. In July 2015, he left the team.
On August 27, 2015, Gal signed a one-year contract with the Serbian team Crvena zvezda. He played in 13 games for them before leaving the team on December 3, 2015.
Third Time with Maccabi Tel Aviv (2016–2017)
On January 10, 2016, Gal Mekel returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv for his third time. He signed a 3½-year contract. Gal helped Maccabi win the Israeli State Cup in both 2016 and 2017. He was even named the Finals MVP for two years in a row! He also led the Israeli Premier League in assists in 2016. On July 4, 2017, Gal left Maccabi.
Playing in Spain with Gran Canaria (2017–2018)
On July 14, 2017, Gal signed a one-year deal with the Spanish team Herbalife Gran Canaria. In 17 EuroCup games, he averaged 9.6 points and 5 assists per game. Gal helped Gran Canaria reach the 2018 EuroCup Quarterfinals. They also reached the 2018 ACB Semifinals, which helped them qualify for the EuroLeague.
Time in Russia with Zenit Saint Petersburg (2018–2019)
On October 8, 2018, Gal signed with the Russian team Zenit Saint Petersburg for the 2018–19 season. He played in 27 games, averaging 7.4 points and 5.3 assists per game. Gal helped Zenit reach the 2019 VTB League Semifinals. He left Zenit on July 7, 2019.
Back to Italy with Reggio Emilia (2019–2020)
On August 15, 2019, Gal signed with Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia in Italy. On October 20, 2019, Gal had his best game of the season, scoring 21 points and having five assists. He helped Reggio Emilia win the game. He later left the club because of the global health situation in Italy.
Playing in Spain with Unicaja Malaga (2020–2021)
On March 5, 2020, Gal signed with Unicaja Málaga of the Spanish Liga ACB.
Final Team with MoraBanc Andorra (2021–2022)
On October 11, 2021, Gal signed with MoraBanc Andorra of the Liga ACB. He played his final professional season with this team.
Playing for His Country
Gal Mekel was a member of the Israel national basketball team. He played in the EuroBasket tournaments in 2009, 2011, 2015, and 2017.
Career Statistics
NBA
Regular Season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | Dallas | 31 | 1 | 9.4 | .349 | .250 | .667 | .9 | 2.0 | .1 | .0 | 2.4 |
| 2014–15 | New Orleans | 4 | 0 | 10.8 | .150 | .0 | .0 | .3 | 3.3 | .5 | .0 | 1.5 |
| Career | 35 | 1 | 9.6 | .311 | .217 | .667 | .8 | 2.2 | .2 | .0 | 2.3 |
EuroLeague
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–10 | Maccabi | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| 2014–15 | Nizhny Novgorod | 6 | 0 | 20.7 | .482 | .286 | .824 | 2.3 | 4.7 | .7 | .0 | 11.7 | 11.7 |
| 2015–16 | Crvena zvezda | 4 | 4 | 20.2 | .230 | .333 | 1.00 | 1.5 | 2.8 | .3 | .3 | 3.8 | 0.8 |
| 2016–17 | Maccabi | 24 | 10 | 15.9 | .398 | .400 | .606 | 2.2 | 3.3 | .3 | 0 | 4.5 | 5.6 |
| Career | 35 | 14 | 16.7 | .400 | .371 | .692 | 2.1 | 3.4 | .3 | .1 | 5.5 | 2.0 |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | Wichita State | 31 | 3 | 13.0 | .443 | .354 | .647 | 1.0 | 1.6 | .4 | .0 | 4.0 |
| 2007–08 | Wichita State | 31 | 26 | 30.7 | .354 | .287 | .877 | 3.1 | 3.7 | .3 | .0 | 9.2 |
| Career | 62 | 29 | 21.9 | .379 | .306 | .809 | 2.1 | 2.6 | .4 | .0 | 6.6 | |
See also
In Spanish: Gal Mekel para niños
