Omri Casspi, the first Israeli player to break through in the NBA, announced his retirement from professional basketball on Sunday. Casspi, 33, has spent the last two seasons at Maccabi Tel Aviv — where he first starred before being selected in the 2009 NBA Draft — but has been plagued by injuries. “Basketball has given me a lot over the years. I reached the peaks of European and world basketball that I never dreamed of. I did not believe I’d make those dreams come true,” he said in a statement.
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Culture and Sports Minister Chili Tropper said: “Omri Caspi has shown us throughout his career how much hard work, how much sacrifice is required, and how much determination is necessary when you want to become an elite athlete, when you want to break through.” “Omri is honorably ending his sports career today. I wish us, Israeli sports in particular and the State of Israel as a whole, more athletes and people who will lead us, on and off the playing field,” Tropper added.
Marc Stein: After 10 seasons in the NBA as his country’s first first-round draft pick, Omri Casspi is scheduled to announce his retirement at a news conference tonight in his native Israel. He spent the last two seasons back at @MaccabitlvBC, where he played with the Wizards’ Deni Avdija.
“The game of basketball has given me a lot over the years,” Caspi said in his opening remarks. “As a young boy from Yavneh who started playing with friends and my big brother, who did not really know what he was saying and went out with number 18 on his shirt, today on July 18 I retire. For the [Maccabi] family, this is a group that taught me a lot about professionalism, hard work, victory at all costs. It fell on very modest ears and I appreciate those values I learned”.
Eran Soroka: According to @sport5il's @Roi Cohen - Omri Casspi, who went through some injury-filled seasons lately and had a 10-years NBA career, is about to retire from basketball at the age of 33.
