A new basketball league for IDF reservists opened with a festive kickoff tournament on Friday at Yad Eliyahu in Tel Aviv. The event brought together 92 active reservists on eight teams from different army units and brigades, with the league set to begin its official season in October.
The initiative is a joint project of The Chalutz, "Education Through Sport," and the Toto lottery. It was developed with the help of Guy Yifrach, a basketball coach and reservist in the Sayeret Shaldag unit, who wanted to combine his love of basketball with the camaraderie of military service. The idea was advanced by league founder Maayan Padan and Omer Livnat, founder of The Chalutz, who said sport can strengthen national resilience.
Teams in the opening tournament represented Shaldag, Palchan Nahal, Orev Paratroopers, Yahalom, Egoz, Air Squadron 100, Givati Battalion 7015, and Nahal Battalion 5030. The players, who had recently met in staging areas and operational activity, took to the court to carry that sense of brotherhood beyond reserve duty.
At the opening ceremony were Israel national basketball team coach Ariel Beit Halahmi and Israel Basketball Association CEO Ron Skital. Livnat said reservists had shown that Israeli society is stronger than its arguments, adding, "In an ambush, no one asks who you voted for, and in this league we want to see that same spirit: competition with respect and a desire to win without forgetting who is standing with you and against you." Padan said the league was created because the court can help reservists process the difficult experiences of long reserve rotations and remain part of a community that understands them.