After being retired from professional basketball for almost thirty years, Tal Brody was just inducted into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in March of this year. Not only did he have an incredible career on the court, but Tal Brody also showed the world how versatile Jews can be.
Tal was born in Trenton, New Jersey on August 30, 1943 to parents who had emigrated from Eastern Europe and spent a few years in what was then Palestine on their way over to the United States. His father worked as an engineer on the construction of the Rothenberg electric station, and his grandfather helped build the country’s first airfield in Herzliya.
Brody’s basketball career started when he was eight at the Jewish Community Center, and then moved up to Trenton Central High School. Not only did he lead his team to an undefeated season, but Tal was also the first selected for the Newark All-State Team in his senior year. His yearbook actually quoted Tal saying that he either wanted to be a professional basketball player or an FBI agent.
Tal excelled on the basketball court at University of Illinois, but he was also successful socially and was a prominent member of Zeba Beta Tau, the Jewish fraternity. But it wasn’t until he played in the 1965 Maccabiah Games that he became truly in touch with his Jewish roots.
After leading the American team to a gold medal, the Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team approached Tal and urged him to play for the Israeli team. Although he had just been drafted to play for the Baltimore Bullets, Israel’s culture and thriving hub had enthralled him enough to stay and play for the Maccabis.
Tal brought the Israeli team a serious attitude and inspirational commitment, inculcating his teammates with his view of basketball as a way of life. Not only did the team hold double as many practices, but the team started making it through enough rounds that they made it to the European Cup Championships and finished second in the league.
The pinnacle of Tal’s career was during the apex of the Cold War and the Soviet Union was boycotting Israel. When the Israeli’s team came up against the Red Army’s team, it was clear that a team of vigorously trained communists clearly had the upper hand. But when Maccabi upset the heavily favored Soviets, it was not only a change for the basketball team, but a chance for Israel to say they are worthy to compete—in every sphere.
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