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 (born March 4, 1988) is a former professional basketball player from Israel. He is known for playing as a point guard. Gal played for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA, which is the top basketball league in the United States. He also spent many years playing for teams in Europe and Israel.
Gal Mekel 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's Serie A League for Benetton Treviso. He 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 Mekel made history by signing with the Dallas Mavericks. He became 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)
- Playing in Italy with Benetton Treviso (2011–2012)
- Leading Maccabi Haifa (2012–2013)
- Joining the NBA: Dallas Mavericks (2013–2014)
- Short Time with New Orleans Pelicans (2014)
- Playing in Russia and Serbia (2015)
- Third Return to Maccabi Tel Aviv (2016–2017)
- Playing in Spain with Gran Canaria (2017–2018)
- Playing in Russia with Zenit Saint Petersburg (2018–2019)
- Playing in Italy with Reggio Emilia (2019–2020)
- Playing in Spain with Unicaja Malaga (2020–2021)
- Playing in Andorra with MoraBanc Andorra (2021–2022)
- National Team Career
- Career Statistics
- See also
Early Life and Family
Gal Mekel is Jewish and was born in Ramat HaSharon, Israel. His parents are Alon and Ariela Mekel. He grew up with four brothers and two sisters. He went to Alliance High School in Tel Aviv.
Gal started playing basketball with the Hapoel Tel Aviv youth team. 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 famous basketball club Maccabi Tel Aviv. He joined them at age 17 and helped them win the Israeli Youth League in 2005–06.
Gal Mekel'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.
First Season at Wichita State
In his first season (2006–07), Gal quickly became a starter for the team. By the end of the season, he was playing about 13 minutes per game and scoring around four points per game.
Second Season and Moving On
During the 2007–08 season, Gal's performance improved 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 was a smart move because Gilboa Galil was known for helping young players get more 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 round. Gal Mekel was recognized for his great season by winning the Israeli Super League Rising Star award.
Back to Maccabi (2009)
After a successful season with Gilboa Galil, Gal returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv. He was meant to be the backup point guard behind Doron Perkins. Perkins had won the Israeli Super League MVP award the year before. In his first game back with Maccabi, Gal scored 13 points and made 5 assists. However, he wasn't getting much playing time. In December 2009, he asked to be loaned out again.
Second Time with Gilboa Galil (2009–2011)
Gal Mekel was loaned back to Gilboa/Galil. He shared the point guard role with Jeremy Pargo. Together, they led Gilboa 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 Gilboa Galil for another year. He played with the team in the EuroLeague qualifying rounds. However, they were eliminated early. In Israel, Gal led Gilboa Galil to a second-place finish in the regular season. They reached the league 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.
Playing in Italy with Benetton Treviso (2011–2012)
On July 5, 2011, Gal Mekel signed a two-year contract with the Italian team Benetton Treviso. With Benetton, he reached the Last 16 stage of the EuroCup. The team finished 11th in the Italian league. He averaged 6.3 points and 3.7 assists per game in Italy. At the end of the season, the club stopped its main team activities.
Leading Maccabi Haifa (2012–2013)
At the start of the 2012–13 season, Gal Mekel wanted to play for a team in European competitions. He also tried out for the Utah Jazz of the NBA. However, he didn't get a good contract offer from the Jazz. So, he joined the Israeli club Maccabi Haifa.
Gal led Maccabi Haifa to finish second in the Israeli Super League regular season. They also reached the Israeli State Cup final, but lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv. Haifa got another chance at a championship when they reached the Israeli Super League final. This game was played at their home court. The team won the championship, and Gal had an amazing game with 21 points and 7 assists. He also won the Israeli League MVP award that season.
Joining the NBA: Dallas Mavericks (2013–2014)
On July 11, 2013, the Dallas Mavericks signed Gal Mekel to a three-year contract. This was a big moment as he became the second Israeli player to join the NBA. Gal played with 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, grabbed 2 rebounds, and made 3 assists. On November 1, 2013, Gal Mekel and Omri Casspi became the first two Israeli players to play against each other in an NBA game. They had been teammates on Israeli youth teams. In that game, Gal scored 11 points and made 6 assists, which was his best NBA game at that time. On November 30, he started his first NBA game. He scored 6 points and made 7 assists.
In January 2014, Gal had to take a break from playing. He had a knee injury that needed surgery and several weeks to heal. He was later sent to the Texas Legends of the NBA D-League for a short time to help him recover and get back into playing shape. On October 29, 2014, the Mavericks decided to release him from the team.
Short Time with New Orleans Pelicans (2014)
On December 5, 2014, Gal Mekel signed a two-year contract with the New Orleans Pelicans. However, he only played in four games for them. He was released by the Pelicans on December 19, 2014.
Playing in Russia and Serbia (2015)
On February 24, 2015, Gal moved to Russia and signed with Nizhny Novgorod. He played with them until the end of the season. In July 2015, he left the team.
On August 27, 2015, Gal signed a one-year contract with the Serbian team Crvena zvezda. However, he left the team on December 3, 2015, after playing in 13 games.
Third Return to 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 titles in both 2016 and 2017. He was even named the Finals MVP for both years! He also led the Israeli Premier League in assists in 2016. On July 4, 2017, Gal left Maccabi again.
Playing in Spain with Gran Canaria (2017–2018)
On July 14, 2017, Gal Mekel 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 EuroCup Quarterfinals and the Spanish league semifinals. This helped them qualify for the EuroLeague, another top European competition.
Playing in Russia with Zenit Saint Petersburg (2018–2019)
On October 8, 2018, Gal Mekel signed with the Russian team Zenit Saint Petersburg for the 2018–19 season. He played in 27 games in the VTB League and the EuroCup. He averaged 7.4 points, 5.3 assists, and 1.9 rebounds per game. Gal helped Zenit reach the VTB League Semifinals. On July 7, 2019, Gal left Zenit.
Playing in Italy with Reggio Emilia (2019–2020)
On August 15, 2019, Gal Mekel signed with Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia in Italy. On October 20, 2019, Gal had a great game, scoring 21 points and making five assists. He helped Reggio Emilia win the game. He later left the club because of the coronavirus pandemic in Italy.
Playing in Spain with Unicaja Malaga (2020–2021)
On March 5, 2020, he signed with Unicaja Málaga of the Spanish Liga ACB.
Playing in Andorra with MoraBanc Andorra (2021–2022)
On October 11, 2021, he signed with MoraBanc Andorra of the Liga ACB.
National Team Career
Gal Mekel was also a member of the Israel national basketball team. He played for his country in several major European basketball tournaments, known as EuroBasket. These included the EuroBasket tournaments in 2009, 2011, 2015, and 2017.
Career Statistics
Gal Mekel played in various leagues throughout his career. Here are some of his overall statistics:
- NBA: In 35 games, he averaged 2.3 points and 2.2 assists per game.
- EuroLeague: In 35 games, he averaged 5.5 points and 3.4 assists per game.
- College: In 62 games, he averaged 6.6 points and 2.6 assists per game.
See also
In Spanish: Gal Mekel para niños
- List of select Jewish basketball players
- List of European basketball players in the United States
