In Israel, basketball is a popular sport, with a multi-tiered professional club league system, as well as men's and women's national teams.
Ligat Ha'Al or the Israeli Premier League, is the top tier level league of basketball competition in Israel, making it Israel's primary basketball competition.
Ligat HaAl comprises the top twelve basketball clubs, and was founded in 1954.
The four winning clubs advance to two best-of-five playoffs, the winners of which are promoted to the Super League.
The league contains 24 clubs (in two districts of 12 teams each one), which compete in a home-and-away round-robin.
The combined Men's and Women's basket team is ranked 55th in the world,[4] and 23rd in the Europe.
[10] (July 2014) They have competed in the EuroBasket Women's tournament 6 times, but have won no metals.
[12] Amare Stoudemire, from the National Basketball Association, best known for his time with the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks, in the summer of 2013, became a major shareholder of Hapoel Jerusalem Basketball Club together with sports agent Arn Tellem and Ori Allon.
Stoudemire, in the summer of 2014 was scheduled to conduct his first camp in Israel, in Tel Aviv.
[14] Gal Mekel, returned to Israel in 2016 after previously playing for the Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans.