Historically the second-most successful side in Israeli basketball with five national championships, the club is owned by Hapoel Tel Aviv Supporters Trust.

[3] However, since then the club has failed to repeat its past success, and has watched as its bitter city rival, Maccabi Tel Aviv, beat them constantly in the race to trophies and European glory.

The uncomfortable conditions, along with the fact that Hapoel Tel Aviv's fans were considered among the most fanatic in Israeli sports, contributed to Ussishkin being known for an extremely hostile atmosphere for visiting teams.

The club was sold to a group of private businessmen, and from 1998 until 2009 (with a short pause for the 2003–04 season), it was owned by Shaul Eizenberg, an Israeli businessman and former press officer of the Israel Football Association.

[3] During this period the club also conceded its most humiliating defeat of all time at the hands of local rivals Maccabi Tel Aviv by a staggering 54 points.

In a controversial decision, Hapoel Tel Aviv decided to hold its home matches at Yad Eliyahu Arena.

The decision followed a statement by the club's owner Shaul Eizenberg that Hapoel Tel Aviv must move to a larger arena in order to repeat its past glory days.

The lack of funds and managerial disorders, as well as a completely new team based on youth players, led to finishing last in the second league and it was relegated to the third division at the end of that season.

[citation needed] In June 2007 the new team was founded and registered in the Israeli 5th tier (Dan District) by Maor Harel.

On April 30, 2009, the team won the Israeli 4th and 3rd Division Union Cup, winning over Hapoel Kfar Saba in the final game.

The team qualified to Liga Leumit with a perfect record and won the Israeli 4th and 3rd Division Union Cup, winning over Elitzur Kohav-Yair/Keffar-Sabba in the final game.

In the 2011–12 season Hapoel Tel Aviv finally achieved promotion to the First Division, following a playoff win over Maccabi Beér Yaacov, therefore returning to the top tier after six years, and being the first fan-owned club in Israel to participate in a top-tier league.

The Local derby matches between the two teams were always considered to be the most prestigious games in Israeli sports, and ones which led to a bitter atmosphere between fans of both clubs, often resulting in acts of mutual violence and hooliganism.

Then, towards the beginning of the second half, after play had stopped for a loose ball foul, Maccabi Tel Aviv's Motti Aroesti shoved his hand into the face of Largey.

During the years as Maccabi Tel Aviv strengthened its dominance in Israeli basketball and its status as the almost-eternal champions, "Hapoel" fans accused their rival's management of various wrongful doing.