Omri Casspi Talks Jewish Heritage

Omri Casspi's international popularity has unquestionably helped the 17-win Kings draw sizable fan support outside of Sacramento. While the team ranks in the middle of the pack in attendance this season, every opposing arena — Madison Square Garden certainly being no exception — has been filled with a sea of waving Israeli flags, purple No. 18 jerseys, and Hebrew chants in support of the former Maccabi Tel Aviv champion. When his name was announced in the starting lineup over the loudspeaker in the capacity-filled Garden on Jewish Heritage Night, Casspi not surprisingly received the loudest and longest ovation of any player on the court.

The importance of being the first Israeli player to be selected in the first round of the draft (23rd overall) and to appear in an NBA game has certainly not been lost on Casspi, one of only two active Jewish players in the league (Jordan Farmar). "It's a great feeling every time I step out on to the court. There's a lot of pride and responsibility [in being] Jewish and Israeli and I feel happy and blessed," he told a crowd of passionate fans in a Q&A session prior to tip-off against the New York Knicks, adding that he "can't be more thankful and grateful" to be playing in the NBA.

Basketball runs in the family for Casspi, who grew up watching Michael Jordan and started shooting hoops in the second grade. "My mother and father were my inspirations from a young age. My mother played until she was 21, my brother played until he was 18 and was [drafted into] the army, and my little sister plays on the under-16 team in Israel."

While Casspi has understandably experienced culture shock in his first year in America, he credits the Kings for making "the transition inside and outside of basketball smoothly," and teammate Francisco Garcia for serving as his mentor from the very first day of training camp. And of course, as soon as Casspi mentioned that he still misses Israeli food, a family in the crowd immediately handed him a container of homemade hummus.

Article Author: Alex Kramers

Alex Kramers is the Sacramento Kings fan correspondent on Kings.com; a writer on the basketball humor blog, lowposts.com; and the editor of doktakra.com. He enjoys reminiscing about old school Sacramento Kings teams, fantasizing about Candace Parker, and dreaming of world peace.
…

Visit Alex Kramers's author page — Alex Kramers's Blog