How Hapoel Jerusalem Landed Sasha Obradovic

Hapoel Jerusalem’s hiring of Sasha Obradovic came after months of failed attempts to bring a top European coach to Jerusalem since Matan Adelson bought the club, mostly because of the security situation. This summer, those conditions changed, and Adelson got his target: the 57-year-old Serbian coach with a strong resume that includes championships in several countries and a EuroLeague Final Four run with Monaco after the memorable 2023 series against Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Jerusalem had long viewed Obradovic as a leading candidate. Adelson’s representative Gal Mekel already knew him from earlier basketball ties, having played against his teams and once been courted by him for Alba Berlin. Their first meeting was accidental, at last season’s Final Four in Abu Dhabi, where Adelson and Mekel bumped into him and began informal talks, including with other coaches. At that stage, however, bringing him in was not realistic.

The process accelerated after Jerusalem’s EuroCup elimination, when the club decided not to keep Yotam Alon. A large delegation, including Adelson, Mekel, CEO Oren Arieli and sporting director Dan Shamir, traveled to the Final Four in Athens with two goals, securing future EuroLeague involvement and hiring a coach. They met 4 to 5 candidates, some in person and some on Zoom. Once Jerusalem learned Obradovic would not stay at Crvena zvezda after its Adriatic League semifinal loss to Partizan Belgrade, they flew him to Athens for a private hotel meeting.

Obradovic showed interest and was said to understand that life in Israel could continue normally despite the security situation, and that he could relocate with his wife. Jerusalem was also impressed by his evolution from a strict disciplinarian into a coach who has been able to lead stars such as Mike James and Elie Okobo. For the club, he offered a mix of toughness, tactics, star-management and a desire to be in Israel. The initial offer was 750,000 euros, above what he earned at Crvena zvezda, and Jerusalem also promised a large player budget and the chance to build around Jared Harper, the league MVP.