Omri Casspi facts for kids
Casspi dunks with the Rockets in 2013
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 22, 1988 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 | |
|
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| 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. He also played as a power forward.
Casspi made history in 2009. He was picked 23rd overall 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 for the Kings in 2009, he became the first Israeli to play in an National Basketball Association (NBA) game.
As a new player, Casspi was chosen for the NBA All-Star Weekend Rookie Challenge. He later played for teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, and New Orleans Pelicans. He returned to the Sacramento Kings before the 2014–15 season. After playing for several other teams, he retired in 2021.
Contents
- Early Life and Basketball Beginnings
- Professional Basketball Career
- Starting with Maccabi Tel Aviv (2005–2006)
- Playing for Hapoel Galil Elyon (2006–2007)
- Back to Maccabi Tel Aviv (2007–2009)
- Joining the Sacramento Kings (2009–2011)
- Playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers (2011–2013)
- Time with the Houston Rockets (2013–2014)
- Short Time with the New Orleans Pelicans (2014)
- Returning to Sacramento (2014–2017)
- Another Stint with New Orleans (2017)
- Playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves (2017)
- Time with the Golden State Warriors (2017–2018)
- Playing for the Memphis Grizzlies (2018–2019)
- Final Return to Maccabi Tel Aviv (2019–2021)
- Retirement from Basketball
- Career Statistics
- National Team Play
- Life Off the Court
- Honors and Recognition
- See also
Early Life and Basketball Beginnings
Omri Casspi was born in Holon, Israel. He grew up in the city of Yavne, Israel. His parents, Shimon and Ilana, were also born in Israel. They are from a Moroccan-Jewish background. Omri has an older brother, Eitan, and a younger sister, Aviv. As an adult, he added the middle name "Moshe" to honor his grandfather.
Omri is one of the few Jewish players to reach the NBA. He was the first player born in Israel to do so. Other Jewish NBA players include Dolph Schayes and Jordan Farmar.
Playing Youth Basketball
As a kid, Casspi played basketball for junior teams. These included Elitzur Yavne and Maccabi Rishon LeZion. When he was 13, he joined the Maccabi Tel Aviv youth team. In 2005, his team won the State Youth championship.
Professional Basketball Career
Starting with Maccabi Tel Aviv (2005–2006)
Casspi began his professional career at age 17. He played for Maccabi Tel Aviv during the 2005–06 season. In his first year, he scored about 4.2 points and grabbed 2.1 rebounds per game. He played for about 9.4 minutes each game in the Israeli Premier League.
Playing for Hapoel Galil Elyon (2006–2007)
In 2006, Casspi was loaned to Hapoel Galil Elyon. This was for the 2006–07 season. He had a great season there. He averaged 11.1 points and 3.1 rebounds over 28 games. In April 2007, Casspi scored 14 points for the World Select team at the Nike Hoop Summit.
Back to Maccabi Tel Aviv (2007–2009)
Casspi returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv for the 2007–08 season. His team reached 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.
In February 2009, Casspi was ranked fourth for the FIBA Europe Young Men's Player of the Year Award. Maccabi won a state championship in 2009. Casspi's role on the team grew during this time. He averaged 12.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. These were all career-highs for him.
In 2008, Casspi thought about joining the 2008 NBA draft. However, he decided not to after he couldn't get a guarantee to be picked in the first round.
Joining the Sacramento Kings (2009–2011)
On June 25, 2009, the Sacramento Kings picked Casspi. He was the 23rd overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft. This made him the first Israeli player ever picked in the first round. On July 10, Casspi signed a deal with the Kings.
On October 28, 2009, Casspi played his first NBA game. He scored 15 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder. On December 16, he started his first NBA game. He scored 22 points against the Washington Wizards. This tied a record for Kings players in their first start.
On January 1, 2010, Casspi 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, Casspi set a new career-high with 24 points against the Phoenix Suns.
In February 2010, Casspi was chosen for 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, Casspi 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.
Playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers (2011–2013)
On June 30, 2011, Casspi was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. This trade also included a 2012 draft pick. In return, the Kings received JJ Hickson.
Time with the Houston Rockets (2013–2014)
On July 16, 2013, Casspi signed a deal with the Houston Rockets. On November 1, two Israeli players faced each other in an NBA game for the first time. Casspi's Rockets played against Gal Mekel and the Dallas Mavericks. Casspi and Mekel had been teammates on Israeli youth teams.
Short Time with the New Orleans Pelicans (2014)
On July 15, 2014, Casspi was traded from the Rockets to the New Orleans Pelicans. This was part of a three-team trade. Eight days later, the Pelicans released him.
Returning to Sacramento (2014–2017)
On September 18, 2014, Casspi signed again with the Sacramento Kings. On April 7, 2015, he scored a career-high 31 points. This helped his team win 116–111 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
On July 14, 2015, Casspi signed another contract with the Kings. On December 28, he scored a new career-high of 36 points. This was during a game against the Golden State Warriors. He also tied a team record with nine three-pointers in that game.
Casspi was shooting very well from three-point range. He was even considered for the All-Star Three-Point Contest.
Another Stint with New Orleans (2017)
On February 20, 2017, Casspi and teammate DeMarcus Cousins were traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. Just three days later, in his only game for the Pelicans, Casspi broke his right thumb. He was then released by the Pelicans on February 25.
Playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves (2017)
On March 20, 2017, Casspi signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Time with the Golden State Warriors (2017–2018)
On July 12, 2017, Casspi signed with the Golden State Warriors. On December 14, he had 17 points and 11 rebounds. This was his 17th career "double-double." On February 12, 2018, Casspi scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
On April 7, 2018, Casspi 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 waived, Casspi received a championship ring from the Warriors. This was for his help during the 2017–18 season, which the Warriors won.
Playing for the Memphis Grizzlies (2018–2019)
On July 11, 2018, Casspi signed with the Memphis Grizzlies. At this point, he had played in the NBA for a long time but had never been in the NBA playoffs. He was one of the players with the longest careers without a playoff game. On February 1, 2019, he injured his right knee. Six days later, the Grizzlies released him.
Final Return to Maccabi Tel Aviv (2019–2021)
On August 13, 2019, Casspi returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv. He signed a three-year deal after playing ten seasons in the NBA. In November 2019, Casspi was named Israeli Player of the Month. He averaged 11.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in four games.
Retirement from Basketball
On July 18, 2021, Omri Casspi announced that he was retiring from basketball.
Career Statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| 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 | |
National Team Play
Casspi also played for the senior Israeli national team. He was the team's captain at the 2015 EuroBasket competition.
Life Off the Court
Venture Capital Fund
In May 2022, Casspi started a $50 million venture capital fund called Sheva. A venture capital fund invests money in new companies that are just starting. During his NBA career, Casspi was an angel investor. This means he invested his own money in startups like DocuSign.
Omri Casspi Foundation
Casspi runs the Omri Casspi Foundation. This foundation organizes trips to Israel for NBA and WNBA players. Other famous people also join these trips. The foundation's goal is to show people what Israel is really like. It helps people connect with the country.
In 2015, players like DeMarcus Cousins and Chandler Parsons joined Casspi. In 2016, Jeremy Piven and Amar'e Stoudemire were part of the group.
Honors and Recognition
On July 6, 2017, Casspi was honored at the 2017 Maccabiah Games. He was one of seven athletes chosen to light the torch.
See also
In Spanish: Omri Casspi para niños
- List of Jewish basketball players
