Maccabi Tel Aviv star Roman Sorkin gave an interview on Thursday, June 25, 2026, on the radio program "5 Ba'Air," where he reflected on his season and spoke warmly about city rival Hapoel Tel Aviv. He said Maccabi had its own problems to focus on and did not have much time to track what Hapoel was doing, adding that the team was trying to meet its own goals and came close to reaching the playoffs.
Sorkin also praised Hapoel's qualification for the EuroLeague, saying, "Congratulations to Hapoel, rivalry or not, it is good for Israeli basketball that there is another team in the EuroLeague. What they did is not something to take for granted." He added that Maccabi was focused on itself.
Asked about Hapoel's Israeli players, Sorkin said many are his friends and that he was rooting for them. He mentioned Tomer Ginat as someone who played at the start of the season, but said Yam Madar did not play early on and that the situation made things difficult for him. Sorkin called Madar "an amazing player" and went even further, answering the question of who is the best Israeli player in the league by saying, "In my eyes, it is him. He is a star."
