Omri Casspi facts for kids

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Omri Casspi
עומרי כספי
Personal information
Casspi dunks with the Rockets in 2013
Born	(1988-06-22) June 22, 1988 (age 37) Holon, Israel
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight	225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
NBA Draft	2009 / Round: 1 / Pick: 23rd overall
Selected by the Sacramento Kings
Pro career	2005–2021
Career history
2005–2009	Maccabi Tel Aviv
2006–2007	→Hapoel Galil Elyon
2009–2011	Sacramento Kings
2011–2013	Cleveland Cavaliers
2013–2014	Houston Rockets
2014–2017	Sacramento Kings
2017	New Orleans Pelicans
2017	Minnesota Timberwolves
2017–2018	Golden State Warriors
2018–2019	Memphis Grizzlies
2019–2021	Maccabi Tel Aviv

Career highlights and awards
4× Israeli Basketball Super League champion (2006, 2009, 2020, 2021) 2× Israeli Basketball State Cup (2006, 2021) Israeli Super League Sixth Man of the Year (2008)

Career statistics
Points	4,642 (7.9 ppg)
Rebounds	2,355 (4.0 rpg)
Assists	662 (1.1 apg)

Omri Moshe Casspi (Hebrew: עומרי משה כספי; born June 22, 1988) is a former professional basketball player from Israel. He mostly played as a small forward, but also as a power forward.

Omri Casspi made history when he was picked 23rd in the 2009 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings. This made him the first Israeli player ever chosen in the first round of an NBA draft. When he played his first game with the Kings in 2009, he became the first Israeli to play in a National Basketball Association (NBA) game. As a new player, called a "rookie," he was even chosen to play in the NBA All-Star Weekend Rookie Challenge.

Early Life and Basketball Beginnings

Omri Casspi was born in Holon, Israel. He grew up in the city of Yavne. His parents, Shimon and Ilana, were also born in Israel. He has an older brother, Eitan, and a younger sister, Aviv. Later in life, Omri added "Moshe" as a middle name to honor his grandfather.

Omri was one of the few Jewish players to reach the NBA. He was the first player born in Israel to do so.

As a child, Omri played basketball for junior teams like Elitzur Yavne and Maccabi Rishon LeZion. When he was 13, he joined the Maccabi Tel Aviv youth team. He helped them win the State Youth championship in 2005.

Professional Basketball Journey

Starting with Maccabi Tel Aviv (2005–2006)

Omri Casspi started his professional career at age 17 with Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 2005–06 season. In his first year, he scored about 4.2 points and grabbed 2.1 rebounds per game. He played about 9.4 minutes each game in the Israeli Premier League.

Playing for Hapoel Galil Elyon (2006–2007)

In 2006, Omri was loaned to Hapoel Galil Elyon for a season. This was a big year for him. He averaged 11.1 points and 3.1 rebounds over 28 games. In April 2007, he scored 14 points for the World Select team at the Nike Hoop Summit.

Returning to Maccabi Tel Aviv (2007–2009)

Omri came back to Maccabi Tel Aviv for the 2007–08 season. His team made it to the EuroLeague Finals in 2008. He won the Israeli League Sixth Man of the Year award in 2008. He averaged 10.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game that season.

In February 2009, Omri was ranked fourth for the FIBA Europe Young Men's Player of the Year Award. Maccabi Tel Aviv won a state championship in 2009. Omri's role on the team grew during this time. He averaged 12.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in league games. These were his best numbers yet.

In 2008, Omri thought about joining the 2008 NBA draft. However, he decided not to, as he wasn't guaranteed to be picked in the first round.

Joining the Sacramento Kings (2009–2011)

On June 25, 2009, the Sacramento Kings picked Omri Casspi as the 23rd overall player in the 2009 NBA draft. This was a huge moment, as he was the first Israeli player to be a first-round pick. On July 10, he signed a multi-year contract with the Kings.

Omri played his first NBA game on October 28, 2009, against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He scored 15 points. On December 16, he started his first NBA game. He scored 22 points against the Washington Wizards. This tied the record for the most points scored by a Kings player in their first start since the team moved to Sacramento.

On January 1, 2010, Omri scored a career-high 23 points against the Los Angeles Lakers. The next day, he grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds against the Dallas Mavericks. On January 5, he set a new career-high with 24 points against the Phoenix Suns.

In February 2010, Omri was chosen to play in the NBA All-Star Weekend Rookie Challenge. He also took part in the NBA All-Star Weekend H–O–R–S–E Competition.

During the 2010–11 season, Omri played in 71 games for Sacramento. He averaged 8.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. In his two seasons with the Kings, he averaged 9.5 points and 4.4 rebounds.

Moving to Cleveland and Houston (2011–2014)

On June 30, 2011, Omri was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He played for them until 2013.

Omri Casspi playing for the Houston Rockets in October 2013

On July 16, 2013, Omri signed a contract with the Houston Rockets. On November 1, 2013, Omri played against Gal Mekel and the Dallas Mavericks. This was the first time two Israeli players faced each other in an NBA game. Omri and Gal had been teammates on Israeli youth teams.

Short Time with New Orleans (2014)

On July 15, 2014, Omri was traded from the Rockets to the New Orleans Pelicans. This was part of a trade involving three teams. Just eight days later, the Pelicans decided to let him go.

Back to Sacramento (2014–2017)

On September 18, 2014, Omri signed again with the Sacramento Kings. On April 7, 2015, he scored a career-high 31 points in a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

On July 14, 2015, Omri re-signed with the Kings once more. On December 28, he scored a new career-high of 36 points against the Golden State Warriors. He also tied a team record by making nine three-pointers in that game.

Because he was shooting so well from three-point range, Omri was considered for the All-Star Three-Point Contest.

More Team Changes (2017–2019)

On February 20, 2017, Omri and his teammate DeMarcus Cousins were traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. In his only game for the Pelicans, Omri broke his right thumb. He was then released by the team.

On March 20, 2017, Omri signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

On July 12, 2017, Omri signed with the Golden State Warriors. On December 14, he had 17 points and 11 rebounds in a win against the Dallas Mavericks. On February 12, 2018, he scored a season-high 19 points and 10 rebounds against the Phoenix Suns.

On April 7, 2018, Omri was released by the Warriors because of an injury. The team needed to make space for another player for the playoffs. Even though he was injured, the Warriors won the 2018 NBA Finals that year. Omri later received a championship ring from the Warriors for his contributions during the season.

On July 11, 2018, Omri signed with the Memphis Grizzlies. At this point, he was the NBA player who had played the longest without ever being in a playoff game. On February 1, 2019, he injured his right knee and needed surgery. Six days later, the Grizzlies released him.

Final Years with Maccabi Tel Aviv (2019–2021)

On August 13, 2019, Omri returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv for a second time. He signed a three-year contract after playing ten seasons in the NBA. In November 2019, Omri was named Israeli Player of the Month. He averaged 11.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.8 steals in four games.

Retirement from Basketball

On July 18, 2021, Omri Casspi announced that he was retiring from playing basketball.

Career Statistics

NBA Statistics

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2009–10	Sacramento	77	31	25.1	.446	.369	.672	4.5	1.2	.7	.2	10.3
2010–11	Sacramento	71	27	24.0	.412	.372	.673	4.3	1.0	.8	.2	8.6
2011–12	Cleveland	65	35	20.6	.403	.315	.685	3.5	1.0	.6	.3	7.1
2012–13	Cleveland	43	1	11.7	.394	.329	.537	2.7	.7	.6	.3	4.0
2013–14	Houston	71	2	18.1	.422	.347	.680	3.7	1.2	.6	.2	6.9
2014–15	Sacramento	67	19	21.1	.489	.402	.733	3.9	1.5	.5	.1	8.9
2015–16	Sacramento	69	21	27.2	.481	.409	.648	5.9	1.4	.8	.2	11.8
2016–17	Sacramento	22	2	18.0	.453	.379	.571	4.1	1.2	.5	.0	5.9
2016–17	New Orleans	1	0	24.0	.556	.500	.000	2.0	.0	.0	.0	12.0
2016–17	Minnesota	13	0	17.1	.487	.200	.625	1.5	.8	1.0	.2	3.5
2017–18	Golden State	53	7	14.0	.580	.455	.725	3.8	1.0	.3	.4	5.7
2018–19	Memphis	36	0	14.4	.534	.349	.672	3.2	.7	.6	.3	6.3
Career		588	145	20.3	.454	.368	.678	4.0	1.1	.6	.2	7.9

EuroLeague Statistics

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG	PIR
2005–06	Maccabi Tel Aviv	3	0	2.7	.000	.000	.500	.0	.0	.0	.0	.7	- 1.7
2007–08		20	7	11.3	.545	.286	.600	2.1	.6	.3	.3	4.5	4.7
2008–09		16	8	17.5	.505	.450	.771	3.1	.4	.8	.2	8.8	7.1
2019–20		6	6	21.2	.636	.250	.560	5.3	3.2	1.3	.2	12.0	18.3
2020–21		16	6	11.2	.448	.333	.579	2.4	0.8	0.3	.3	4.1	4.5
Career		61	27	13.5	.516	.346	.639	2.7	.8	.5	.2	6.1	6.6

Playing for Israel's National Team

Omri Casspi also played for the senior Israeli national basketball team in international games. He was the team's captain at the 2015 EuroBasket tournament.

Off the Court Activities

Starting a Venture Capital Fund

In May 2022, Omri Casspi started a special investment fund called Sheva. It had $50 million to invest in new companies. While he was playing in the NBA, Omri also invested in startups like DocuSign.

The Omri Casspi Foundation

Omri runs the Omri Casspi Foundation. Every year, this foundation helps organize trips to Israel for NBA players, WNBA players, and other famous people. The goal of the foundation is to show people what Israel is really like. In 2015, players like DeMarcus Cousins and Chandler Parsons joined Omri on the trip. In 2016, famous people like Jeremy Piven and Amar'e Stoudemire were part of the group.

Honors and Awards

On July 6, 2017, Omri Casspi was one of seven athletes honored at the torch lighting ceremony for the 2017 Maccabiah Games.