JewSWISH | Master Player List

Below you can find my "Master List" of Jewish Professional Basketball Players. For this list I used the following rules to compile: Must have played in a Professional Basketball League in the USA, must be Jewish (at least Mother's side or a Conversion as recognized by the State of Israel), and No Coaches/Managers. If there is an exception to those rules it will be noted by each player.

For the years/teams shown for each player I only listed the ones that were applicable during their time as a player in the USA (so please be aware that they might have played/coached longer or for other teams).

Please note I do not own any rights to the images below, they remain to the original holder. If any information is wrong please do let me know as this is an ever evolving list as I work on my research!

Thank you!

Jamie Moshe Straz

Max "Marty" Friedman

1910-'27

Various

New York Whirlwinds

Has Cards

Morris "Tubby" Raskin

1925-'26

ABL

Brooklyn Arcadians

Has Cards

Moe Spahn

1932-'43

ABL

Brooklyn Visitations / Jersey Reds / New York Jewels / Wilmington Bombers (Notable Teams of the 17 Teams Played For)

Has Cards

Herb Bonn

1937-'39

NBL

Pittsburgh Pirates

Has Cards

Eugene "Yaney" Rosenthal

1938-'39

NBL

Pittsburgh Pirates

Has Cards

Bernard Opper

1939-'47

ABL

Detroit Eagles / Philadelphia Sphas / Jersey City Atoms

Has Cards

✔

Ralph Kaplowitz

1939-'51

BAA

Jersey Reds / Philadelphia Sphas / New York Knicks / Philadelphia Warriors / Hartford Hurricanes / Bridgeport Roesslers

Has Cards

Len Rader

1943-'50

NBL / BAA

Long Island Wonder Team / Philadelphia Sphas / Tri-Cities Blackhawks / Troy Celtics / Birmingham Skyhawks / Montgomery Rebels / Hammond Calumet Buccaneers / Hartford Hurricanes

Has Cards

Howie Rader

1944-'50

NBL / BAA

Philadelphia Sphas / Tri-Cities Blackhawks / Atlanta Crackers / Baltimore Bullets / Hartford Hurricanes

Has Cards

Marvin "Mickey" Rottner

1945-'48

NBL / BAA

Sheboygan Red Skins / Chicago Stags

Has Cards

Art Spector

1946-'50

NBA

Boston Celtics

Has Cards

✔

Nat Militzok

1946-'52

BAA / ABL

New York Knicks / Toronto Huskies / Scranton Miners / Saratoga Harlem Yankees

Has Cards

Harry Boykoff

1947-'51

NBL / NBA

Toledo Jeeps / Waterloo Hawks / Boston Celtics / Tri-Cities Blackhawks

Has Cards

Dolph Schayes

1948-'64

BAA / NBA

Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers

Has Cards

✔

Boris Nachamkin

1954

NBA

Rochester Royals

Has Cards

Lennie Rosenbluth

1957-'59

NBA

Philadelphia Warriors

Has Cards

✔

Jeff Cohen

1961-'63

ABL / BAA

Hawaii Chiefs / Chicago Majors

Has Cards

✔

Barry Kramer

1964-'70

NBA

San Francisco Warriors / New York Knicks / New York Nets

Has Cards

Barry Leibowitz

1967-'68

ABA

Pittsburgh Pipers / New Jersey Americans / Oakland Oaks

Has Cards

Dave Newmark

1968-'71

NBA / ABA

Chicago Bulls / Atlanta Hawks / Carolina Cougars

Has Cards

✔

Earl Williams

1974-'79

NBA

Phoenix Suns / Detroit Pistons / New York Nets / Boston Celtics

Has Cards

✔

Joel Kramer

1978-'83

NBA

Phoenix Suns

Has Cards

✔

Doug Gottlieb

2000-'02

USBL

Oklahoma Storm

Has Cards

✔

Amar'e Stoudemire

2002-'16

NBA

Phoenix Suns / New York Knicks / Dallas Mavericks / Miami Heat

Has Cards

✔

Gal Mekel

2013-'14

NBA

Dallas Mavericks / New Orleans Pelicans

Has Cards

✔

Barney Sedran

1911-'38

ABL

New York Whirlwinds / Cleveland Rosenblums (Notable Teams of the 23 Different Teams Played For)

Has Cards

Sam Schoenfeld

1931-'39

ABL

5 Different Teams

Approximate Years

Has Cards

Howard "Red" Rosan

1935-'45

ABL

Philadelphia Sphas / Hazleton Mountaineers / Allentown Barons / Baltimore Bullets

Has Cards

Hyman "Hymie" Ginsburg

1937-'39

NBL

Pittsburgh Pirates

Has Cards

Ben Goldfaden

1938-'47

ABL / BAA

Washington Brewers / Philadelphia Sphas / Wilmington Bombers / Trenton Tigers / Washington Capitols

Has Cards

Leo Gottlieb

1939-'48

ABL / NBA

Philadelphia Sphas / New York Jewels / New York Americans / New York Gothams / New York Knicks

Has Cards

Ossie Schectman

1941-'48

ABL / BAA

Philadelphia Sphas / New York Knicks / Paterson Crescents

"He is credited with having scored the first basket in the Basketball Association of America (BAA), which would later become the National Basketball Association (NBA)."

Has Cards

Sid Levine

1944-'45

NBL

Pittsburgh Raiders

Has Cards

Irv Rothenberg

1944-'51

BAA / ABL

Philadelphia Sphas / New York Gothams / Cleveland Rebels / Washington Capitols / Baltimore Bullets / St. Louis Bombers / New York Knicks / Paterson Crescents

Has Cards

William "Red" Holzman

1945-'54

NBL / NBA

Rochester Royals / Milwaukee Hawks

Has Cards

✔

Sid Hertzberg

1946-'51

BAA / NBA

New York Knicks / Washington Capitols / Boston Celtics

Has Cards

✔

Max "Slats" Zaslofsky

1946-'56

BAA / NBA

Chicago Stags / New York Knicks / Baltimore Bullets / Milwaukee Hawks / Fort Wayne Pistons / Trenton Capitols / Wilkes-Barre Barons

Has Cards

✔

Herb Krautblatt

1948-'51

BAA

Baltimore Bullets / Trenton Tigers / Hartford Hurricanes / Paterson Crescents

Has Cards

Norm Grekin

1953

NBA

Philadelphia Warriors

Has Cards

Ed Wiener

1955

NBA

Philadelphia Warriors

Drafted 4th Round by Philadelphia Warriors, 3rd Pick (Didn't Play)

Has Cards

✔

Rudy LaRusso

1959-'69

NBA

Minneapolis-Los Angeles Lakers / San Francisco Warriors

Has Cards

✔

Jerry Greenspan

1963-'65

NBA

Philadelphia 76ers

Has Cards

Ron Watts

1965-'67

NBA

Boston Celtics

Has Cards

Larry Brown

1967-'72

ABA

New Orleans Buccaneers / Oakland Oaks / Washington Caps / Virginia Squires / Denver Rockets

Has Cards

✔

Neal Walk

1969-'76

NBA

Phoenix Suns / New Orleans Jazz / New York Knicks

Has Cards

✔

Aulcie Perry

1974-/76

ABA / CBA

Virginia Squires / Allentown Jets

Has Cards

Danny Schayes

1981-'99

NBA

Utah Jazz / Denver Nuggets / Milwaukee Bucks / Los Angeles Lakers / Phoenix Suns / Miami Heat / Orlando Magic

Has Cards

✔

Nate Huffman

2002-'03

NBA

Toronto Raptors

Has Cards

✔

Jordan Farmar

2006-'16

NBA

Los Angeles Lakers / New Jersey Nets / Los Angeles Clippers / Memphis Grizzlies / Sacramento Kings

Has Cards

✔

Deni Avdija

2020-Present

NBA

Washington Wizards

Has Cards

✔

Nat Holman

1922-'30

EBL / ABL

Original Celtics

Has Cards

✔

Lou Bender

1932-'40

ABL

Original Celtics / Union City Reds / Boston Trojans / New York Whirlwinds

Has Cards

Marty Reiter

1937-'39

NBL

Pittsburgh Pirates

Has Cards

Ed Kweller

1937-'39

NBL

Pittsburgh Pirates / Washington Heurichs

Has Cards

Meyer "Mike" Bloom

1938-'49

ABL / BAA

Philadelphia Sphas / Washington Brewers / Baltimore Clippers / Trenton Tigers / Baltimore Bullets / Boston Celtics / Minneapolis Lakers / Chicago Stags

Has Cards

Irv Torgoff

1939-'49

NBL / BAA

Detroit Eagles / Philadelphia Sphas / Washington Capitols / Baltimore Bullets / Philadelphia Warriors / Trenton Tigers

Has Cards

Louis Herman "Red" Klotz

1942-'89

BAA / ABL

Philadelphia Sphas / Baltimore Bullets / Washington Generals

Has Cards

Jack Garfinkel

1944-'49

NBL / BAA

Philadelphia Sphas / Rochester Royals / Boston Celtics

Has Cards

✔

Hy Gotkin

1945-'47

ABL / BAA

New York Gothams / Elizabeth Braves

Has Cards

Mel Hirsch

1946-'47

BAA / NBA

Boston Celtics

Has Cards

Hank Rosenstein

1946-'52

BAA / ABL

New York Knicks / Providence Steamrollers / Scranton Miners

Has Cards

Sid Tanenbaum

1947-'49

BAA

New York Knicks / Baltimore Bullets

Has Cards

Les Harrison

1948-'55

NBL

Rochester Royals

Has Cards

✔

Irv Bemoras

1953-'57

NBA

Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks

Bemoras can be seen on the 1957 Topps #7 Kenny Sears' card in front wearing Jersey #26

Has Cards

✔

Larry Friend

1957-'58 / 1961-'62

NBA / ABL

New York Knicks / Los Angeles Jets

Has Cards

✔

Al Seiden

1961-'62

EPBL

Pittsburgh Rens

Has Cards

Art Heyman

1963-'70

NBA / EPBL / ABA

New York Knicks / Cincinnati Royals / Philadelphia 76ers / Wilmington Blue Bombers / Hartford Capitols / New Jersey Americans / Pittsburgh-Minnesota Pipers / Miami Floridians

Has Cards

✔