Back-to-Back Promotions: Ashdod’s Magical Run

Culture, the foreign player who dominated the National League, and the guard with 300,000 followers. The plans for the Premier League, Sport 5

Published: 11.06.26, 20:20 (National League administration) | Photo: Sport 5

Maccabi Ashdod is on the map. The rebuilt team completed a rare and surprising achievement when it secured its second straight promotion today, Thursday. The re-established club will play in the Premier League next season, after competing in the 2024/25 season in Liga Artzit.

The team from one of Israel’s largest cities was born again, but this is a different club from the one that played for years in the top division and reached the State Cup final in 2016. That team was relegated at the start of the decade to the second division and from there to the third. In parallel, the club was rebuilt in Liga Bet under the leadership of Nati Cohen. They progressed, moved up to Liga Alef and from there to Liga Artzit. Three and a half years ago, both teams were in Liga Artzit, and the municipality decided to fund the new club, free of debt. Along with the budget came ambitions, a professional surge, and Dan Katzir.

The 33-year-old coach is considered one of the most promising figures in Israeli basketball, and this is only one of his first seasons in the senior ranks. There will be players older than him in the Premier League next season, and he helped the team build an organizational identity and a strong connection with the youth department. All of the senior players spent many sessions coaching, while Bar Sheinbaum coached at the basketball school. Robert Turner, one of the candidates for the National League MVP, embraced the role and faithfully accompanied youth players.

"There is a team of good people here," people at the club said. "They trained together, and that led to the promotion. We fought for the playoffs, but the identity made the difference. The togetherness starts with the coach’s fingerprint."

As a confidence-building move, Ashdod kept Katzir on a contract that would have kept him in place even if the team had not been promoted. The promotion itself surprised people inside the club, even as it became increasingly realistic. Alongside the reinforcements that will come with the move to the Premier League, Ashdod sees great importance in continuity heading into 2026/27.

The team’s leading foreign player is Robert Turner, a guard who averaged 24 points per game and has a guaranteed contract for next season. Turner will try to make the next step, similar to players such as Amin Stevens or Kawa Grant. The MVP of last season in the National League is also leading Rishon Lezion in the Premier League and is having an excellent season.

The club credited promotion specialist Amit Reuven, who went up a league for the second straight year and was one of the standout figures in the locker room. He averaged 12.2 points and 6 assists, and while there is great mutual appreciation between the sides, there is no real contract. Reuven wants to make the most of the promotion, unlike in seasons when he helped move up Gilboa/Galil, now HaEmek, or Kiryat Ata. He feels mature and ready to establish himself in the top division.

Shahar Shalmon, one of the leading content creators on Israeli TikTok with 300,000 followers, has a close relationship with coach Dan Katzir. For Shalmon, Katzir is one of the main reasons he became a basketball player, and the two have known each other since they were young. Shalmon, until a year ago an anonymous player in the third division, faced a difficult decision. On the one hand, he wanted to take a step up and continue with the club, alongside people with whom he has shared a significant journey. On the other hand, staying depended on a professional situation that would allow him to keep developing.

Another prominent Israeli player is the injured Amri Shavit, who has top-division experience and is expected to continue there after recovering from the injury. The only Israeli player besides coach Katzir with a guaranteed contract is Ben Gold. The option on the naturalized player was exercised during the season, when he was chosen as the league’s breakthrough player. He is considered one of the best shooters in Israel, with 39 percent from three-point range, including one game in which he hit 11 of 14 from beyond the arc.

"The Premier League is a different world," admitted people at the club. "The club needs to grow to the required size in every area, players, management structure and budget." The team values continuity, which is expected to happen again this time, despite the size of the budget.

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