# 2018–19 Israeli Basketball Premier League

The 2018–19 Israeli Basketball Premier League, for sponsorship reasons Ligat Winner, is the 65th season of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. Maccabi Tel Aviv is the defending champion.

## Teams

Hapoel Be'er Sheva was promoted from the Liga Leumit, after they swept Maccabi Kiryat Gat 3–0 in the finals. Meanwhile, Maccabi Haifa was relegated after finishing in the last place the previous season.

### Stadia and locations

| Team | Home city | Stadium | Capacity |
| Bnei Herzliya | Herzliya | HaYovel Herzliya | 1,500 |
| Hapoel Be'er Sheva | Be'er Sheva | Conch Arena | 3,000 |
| Hapoel Eilat | Eilat | Begin Arena | 1,490 |
| Hapoel Gilboa Galil | Gilboa Regional Council | Gan Ner Sports Hall | 2,100 |
| Hapoel Holon | Holon | Holon Toto Hall | 5,500 |
| Hapoel Jerusalem | Jerusalem | Pais Arena | 11,000 |
| Hapoel Tel Aviv | Tel Aviv | Drive in Arena | 3,504 |
| Ironi Nahariya | Nahariya | Ein Sarah | 2,500 |
| Ironi Nes Ziona | Ness Ziona | Lev Hamoshava | 1,200 |
| Maccabi Ashdod | Ashdod | HaKiriya Arena | 2,200 |
| Maccabi Rishon LeZion | Rishon LeZion | Beit Maccabi Rishon | 2,500 |
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | Tel Aviv | Menora Mivtachim Arena | 10,383 |

### Personnel and sponsorship

| Team | Chairman | Head coach | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
| Bnei Herzliya | Eldad Akunis | Arik Shivek | Peak | Rav-Bariach |
| Hapoel Be'er Sheva | Kfir Arazi | Rami Hadar | Spalding | Altshuler Shaham |
| Hapoel Eilat | Nachi Indik | Sharon Drucker | And1 | Mall Hayam |
| Hapoel Gilboa Galil | Haim Ohayon | Ariel Beit-Halahmy | Peak | |
| Hapoel Holon | Shlomo Issac | Dan Shamir | Peak | UNET |
| Hapoel Jerusalem | Eyal Chomski | Oded Kattash | Peak | Bank Yahav |
| Hapoel Tel Aviv | Rami Cohen | Danny Franco | Peak | SP |
| Ironi Nahariya | Nissim Alfasi | Eric Alfasi | Peak | |
| Ironi Nes Ziona | Yaniv Mizrahi | Nadav Zilberstein | Kappa | Hai Motors |
| Maccabi Ashdod | Armaund Asulin | Brad Greenberg | And1 | SCE |
| Maccabi Rishon LeZion | Itzhak Peri | Guy Goodes | Under Armour | Mitcham 1000 |
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | Shimon Mizrahi | Ioannis Sfairopoulos | Nike | FOX |

### Managerial changes

| Departure date | Team | Outgoing head coach | Reason | Hire date | Incoming head coach |
| November 18, 2018 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | Neven Spahija | Fired | November 18, 2018 | Ioannis Sfairopoulos |
| November 26, 2018 | Maccabi Rishon LeZion | Zvika Sherf | Fired | November 30, 2018 | Guy Goodes |
| December 11, 2018 | Ironi Nahariya | Mickey Gorka | Fired | December 13, 2018 | Eric Alfasi |
| January 15, 2019 | Bnei Herzliya | Gašper Potočnik | Fired | January 15, 2019 | Ofer Berkovich |
| January 30, 2019 | Bnei Herzliya | Ofer Berkovich | Fired | January 31, 2019 | Arik Shivek |

## Regular season
### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 33 | 27 | 6 | 3013 | 2578 | +435 | 60 | Advance to playoffs |
| 2 | Hapoel Jerusalem | 33 | 24 | 9 | 2994 | 2727 | +267 | 57 | Advance to playoffs |
| 3 | Hapoel Holon | 33 | 24 | 9 | 2907 | 2838 | +69 | 57 | Advance to playoffs |
| 4 | Hapoel Eilat | 33 | 22 | 11 | 2859 | 2635 | +224 | 55 | Advance to playoffs |
| 5 | Ironi Nes Ziona | 33 | 16 | 17 | 2829 | 2865 | −36 | 49 | Advance to playoffs |
| 6 | Maccabi Rishon LeZion | 33 | 15 | 18 | 2664 | 2734 | −70 | 48 | Advance to playoffs |
| 7 | Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 33 | 15 | 18 | 2712 | 2683 | +29 | 48 | Advance to playoffs |
| 8 | Hapoel Tel Aviv | 33 | 14 | 19 | 2766 | 2758 | +8 | 47 | Advance to playoffs |
| 9 | Maccabi Ashdod | 33 | 13 | 20 | 2741 | 2937 | −196 | 46 | |
| 10 | Hapoel Gilboa Galil | 33 | 12 | 21 | 2799 | 3037 | −238 | 45 | |
| 11 | Ironi Nahariya | 33 | 9 | 24 | 2539 | 2798 | −259 | 42 | |
| 12 | Bnei Herzliya (R) | 33 | 7 | 26 | 2528 | 2761 | −233 | 40 | Relegation to Liga Leumit |

### Results
#### Rounds 1 to 22

| Home \ Away | BHE | HBS | HEI | HGG | HHO | HJE | HTA | INA | INZ | MAS | MRL | MTA |
| Bnei Herzliya | — | 75–84 | 81–100 | 105–78 | 82–85 | 73–83 | 68–88 | 61–63 | 62–81 | 70–75 | 74–67 | 77–87 |
| Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 87–74 | — | 88–85 | 83–76 | 70–72 | 88–89 | 105–73 | 85–75 | 78–90 | 87–70 | 81–84 | 76–99 |
| Hapoel Eilat | 81–75 | 88–66 | — | 107–74 | 76–82 | 70–82 | 95–89 | 77–71 | 105–85 | 102–77 | 96–81 | 70–83 |
| Hapoel Gilboa Galil | 90–89 | 68–82 | 70–88 | — | 75–85 | 101–99 | 91–96 | 85–81 | 95–84 | 103–95 | 92–77 | 98–94 |
| Hapoel Holon | 86–78 | 86–78 | 108–102 | 112–106 | — | 101–82 | 78–75 | 78–72 | 78–88 | 88–84 | 85–81 | 100–95 |
| Hapoel Jerusalem | 98–77 | 89–79 | 83–99 | 94–81 | 94–74 | — | 87–75 | 92–53 | 90–82 | 104–94 | 94–76 | 78–89 |
| Hapoel Tel Aviv | 76–77 | 68–73 | 100–81 | 76–86 | 74–92 | 86–90 | — | 76–90 | 90–78 | 89–95 | 78–64 | 104–94 |
| Ironi Nahariya | 77–93 | 61–86 | 75–93 | 87–89 | 98–95 | 86–80 | 59–80 | — | 85–76 | 86–92 | 75–89 | 77–87 |
| Ironi Nes Ziona | 81–79 | 105–84 | 82–80 | 83–76 | 95–96 | 74–90 | 85–89 | 103–93 | — | 70–82 | 93–95 | 83–81 |
| Maccabi Ashdod | 94–73 | 84–99 | 68–85 | 79–80 | 71–94 | 64–87 | 81–78 | 93–74 | 80–75 | — | 80–90 | 100–104 |
| Maccabi Rishon LeZion | 77–72 | 71–66 | 72–75 | 107–99 | 70–78 | 77–72 | 62–85 | 75–58 | 84–90 | 92–79 | — | 92–94 |
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | 88–70 | 66–64 | 101–91 | 105–77 | 99–66 | 91–78 | 89–57 | 78–61 | 87–82 | 103–59 | 98–64 | — |

#### Rounds 23 to 33

| Home \ Away | BHE | HBS | HEI | HGG | HHO | HJE | HTA | INA | INZ | MAS | MRL | MTA |
| Bnei Herzliya | — | 68–92 | — | — | — | 69–76 | — | — | — | 86–97 | 74–66 | 58–102 |
| Hapoel Be'er Sheva | — | — | — | 104–77 | — | 89–118 | — | — | 91–103 | 88–97 | 77–53 | 64–96 |
| Hapoel Eilat | 74–73 | 64–52 | — | — | 87–72 | — | 85–76 | 90–69 | 89–77 | — | — | — |
| Hapoel Gilboa Galil | 81–95 | — | 91–82 | — | 73–94 | — | 70–92 | 96–93 | 90–91 | — | — | — |
| Hapoel Holon | 88–85 | 89–78 | — | — | — | 99–108 | 97–89 | 77–88 | 84–97 | — | — | — |
| Hapoel Jerusalem | — | — | 78–81 | 104–87 | — | — | — | — | 100–73 | 92–82 | 91–80 | 98–92 |
| Hapoel Tel Aviv | 90–73 | 102–96 | — | — | — | 92–91 | — | — | — | 104–76 | — | 76–85 |
| Ironi Nahariya | 72–76 | 68–92 | — | — | — | 93–103 | 78–69 | — | — | — | — | 71–77 |
| Ironi Nes Ziona | 97–86 | — | — | — | — | — | 100–98 | 75–77 | — | 92–101 | 85–84 | — |
| Maccabi Ashdod | — | — | 74–92 | 94–86 | 100–89 | — | — | 88–89 | — | — | 66–93 | — |
| Maccabi Rishon LeZion | — | — | 81–77 | 92–88 | 102–105 | — | 87–76 | 92–84 | — | — | — | — |
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | — | — | 99–92 | 88–70 | 86–94 | — | — | — | 86–74 | 90–73 | 97–87 | — |

## Playoffs

The first round of the playoffs is played in a best-of-five format, with the higher seeded team playing the first, third and fifth game at home. The Playoffs started on May 23, 2019.
| Team 1 | Series | Team 2 | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 |
| (1) Maccabi Tel Aviv | 3–0 | Hapoel Tel Aviv (8) | 89–67 | 85–72 | 87–63 | — | — |
| (4) Hapoel Eilat | 3–1 | Ironi Nes Ziona (5) | 96–89 | 84–95 | 84–76 | 98–90 | — |
| (3) Hapoel Holon | 1–3 | Maccabi Rishon LeZion (6) | 84–95 | 85–95 | 100–79 | 76–92 | — |
| (2) Hapoel Jerusalem | 3–0 | Hapoel Be'er Sheva (7) | 85–68 | 99–75 | 95–77 | — | — |

## Final Four

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final |
| June 10 | June 10 |
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | 85 |
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | 85 | June 13 | June 13 |
| Hapoel Eilat | 83 | June 13 | June 13 |
| Hapoel Eilat | 83 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 89 |
| June 10 | June 10 | | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 89 |
| June 10 | June 10 | Maccabi Rishon LeZion | 75 |
| Hapoel Jerusalem | 86 | Maccabi Rishon LeZion | 75 |
| Maccabi Rishon LeZion | 92 | | |

## All-Star Event

The 2019 Israeli League All-star event was held at the Menora Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv on 12 April 2019.
The International team won the game 134–130. The MVP of the game was JP Tokoto who scored 19 points along with five rebounds.
Guy Pnini won the Three-Point Shootout and Cor-J Cox won the Slam Dunk Contest.

### Lineups

Israeli All-Stars :
| Pos | Player | Team |
| Starters |||
| G | Tamir Blatt | Hapoel Jerusalem |
| G | Yiftach Ziv | Ironi Nahariya |
| G/F | Yovel Zoosman | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| F | Guy Pnini | Hapoel Holon |
| C | Amar'e Stoudemire | Hapoel Jerusalem |
| Reserves |||
| G | Chanan Colman | Hapoel Be'er Sheva |
| G | Joaquin Szuchman | Hapoel Gilboa Galil |
| G/F | Egor Koulechov | Maccabi Rishon LeZion |
| F | Rafi Menco | Hapoel Eilat |
| F | Tal Dunne | Ironi Nes Ziona |
| F | Nimrod Levi | Maccabi Ashdod |
| F | Karam Mashour | Bnei Herzliya |
| F/C | Tomer Ginat | Hapoel Tel Aviv |
| Head coach: Oded Kattash (Hapoel Jerusalem) |||
| Head coach: Sharon Drucker (Hapoel Eilat) |||
International All-Stars :
| Pos | Player | Team |
| Starters |||
| G | Corey Walden | Hapoel Holon |
| G | James Feldeine | Hapoel Jerusalem |
| G/F | Daequan Cook | Ironi Nes Ziona |
| F | JP Tokoto | Hapoel Eilat |
| C | Tarik Black | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| Reserves |||
| G | Paul Stoll | Maccabi Ashdod |
| G | Jerel McNeal | Hapoel Tel Aviv |
| G | Alex Hamilton | Maccabi Rishon LeZion |
| G/F | Myke Henry | Ironi Nahariya |
| G/F | Jordan Swing | Hapoel Be'er Sheva |
| F | Greg Whittington | Hapoel Gilboa Galil |
| F/C | Jeff Adrien | Bnei Herzliya |
| Head coach: Ioannis Sfairopoulos (Maccabi Tel Aviv) |||
| Head coach: Dan Shamir (Hapoel Holon) |||
^SPL Special roster addition.

### Three-Point Shootout

Contestants :
| Pos. | Player | Team | 1st round | Final round |
| F | Guy Pnini | Hapoel Holon | 20 | 18 |
| G | Golan Gutt | Ironi Nes Ziona | 21 | 16 |
| G | James Feldeine | Hapoel Jerusalem | 16 | — |
| G/F | Adam Ariel | Maccabi Rishon LeZion | 14 | — |
| G/F | Jordan Swing | Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 13 | — |
| G | Jamal Shuler | Hapoel Tel Aviv | 12 | — |
| G/F | Michael Roll | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 11 | — |
| G | Tamir Blatt | Hapoel Jerusalem | 9 | — |

### Slam Dunk Contest

Contestants :
| Pos. | Player | Team | 1st round | Final round |
| G/F | Cor-J Cox | Maccabi Rishon LeZion | 45 | 50 |
| F/C | Deshawn Stephens | Hapoel Tel Aviv | 47 | 45 |
| F/C | James Kelly | Hapoel Gilboa Galil | 45 | 45 |
| F | JP Tokoto | Hapoel Eilat | — | — |

## Statistical leaders

| Points Pos Player Club PPG 1 Mark Tollefsen Maccabi Ashdod 20.4 2 Corey Walden Hapoel Holon 18.7 3 Greg Whittington Hapoel Gilboa Galil 18.4 4 Elijah Bryant Hapoel Eilat 17.6 5 Daequan Cook Ironi Nes Ziona 17.1 | Assists Pos Player Club APG 1 Avi Ben-Chimol Hapoel Eilat 7.8 2 Paul Stoll Maccabi Ashdod 7.7 3 Raviv Limonad Hapoel Tel Aviv 5.5 4 Alex Hamilton Maccabi Rishon LeZion 5.4 5 Corey Walden Hapoel Holon 5.1 |
| Rebounds Pos Player Club RPG 1 Greg Whittington Hapoel Gilboa Galil 9.6 2 Jakim Donaldson Hapoel Be'er Sheva 9.4 3 James Kelly Hapoel Gilboa Galil 7.9 4 Lis Shoshi Maccabi Ashdod 7.7 5 JP Tokoto Hapoel Eilat 7.6 | Efficiency Pos Player Club PIR 1 Greg Whittington Hapoel Gilboa Galil 24.6 2 Corey Walden Hapoel Holon 23.0 3 Mark Tollefsen Maccabi Ashdod 20.5 4 Elijah Bryant Hapoel Eilat 19.4 5 Suleiman Braimoh Hapoel Eilat 19.3 |

### Other statistics

| Category | Player | Team | Average |
| Steals | Paul Stoll | Maccabi Ashdod | 2.9 |
| Blocks | Eric Griffin | Ironi Nahariya | 2.1 |
| Turnovers | Paul Stoll | Maccabi Ashdod | 4.4 |
| Minutes | Greg Whittington | Hapoel Gilboa Galil | 35:20 |
| 2P% | Josh Owens | Hapoel Jerusalem | 73.6% |
| 3P% | Michael Roll | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 49.0% |
| FT% | John DiBartolomeo | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 88.2% |
Source: Basket.co.il

### Individual game highs

| Category | Player | Team | Total | Opponent |
| Points | Corey Walden | Hapoel Holon | 37 | Maccabi Rishon LeZion (May 13, 19) |
| Rebounds | Tomer Ginat | Hapoel Tel Aviv | 21 | Maccabi Tel Aviv (May 12, 19) |
| Assists | Avi Ben-Chimol | Hapoel Eilat | 16 | Maccabi Tel Aviv (April 11, 19) |
| Assists | Paul Stoll | Maccabi Ashdod | 16 | Hapoel Holon (May 20, 18) |
| Steals | Taylor Braun | Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 8 | Hapoel Tel Aviv (October 15, 18) |
| Blocks | Eric Griffin | Ironi Nahariya | 5 | Maccabi Tel Aviv (March 17, 19) |
| Blocks | Eric Griffin | Ironi Nahariya | 5 | Hapoel Tel Aviv (May 5, 19) |
| Three Pointers | Amit Gershon | Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 9 | Hapoel Gilboa Galil (May 15, 19) |
Source: RealGM

## Awards
### Yearly awards
#### Finals MVP

| Pos. | Player | Team |
| G | John DiBartolomeo | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
Source: basket.co.il

#### Regular season MVP

| Pos. | Player | Team |
| G | Corey Walden | Hapoel Holon |
Source: basket.co.il

#### Coach of the Year

| Coach | Team |
| Ioannis Sfairopoulos | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
Source: basket.co.il

#### All-Israeli League Teams

| First team | First team | Second Team | Second Team |
| Player | Team | Player | Team |
| John DiBartolomeo | Maccabi Tel Aviv | Cameron Long | Maccabi Rishon LeZion |
| Corey Walden | Hapoel Holon | Tal Dunne | Ironi Nes Ziona |
| James Feldeine | Hapoel Jerusalem | Guy Pnini | Hapoel Holon |
| Elijah Bryant | Hapoel Eilat | Suleiman Braimoh | Hapoel Eilat |
| Tomer Ginat | Hapoel Tel Aviv | Tarik Black | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
Source: basket.co.il

#### Quarterfinals MVP

| Pos. | Player | Team |
| G | Cameron Long | Maccabi Rishon LeZion |
Source: basket.co.il

#### Best Defender

| Pos. | Player | Team |
| PF | TaShawn Thomas | Hapoel Jerusalem |
Source: basket.co.il

#### Most Improved Player

| Pos. | Player | Team |
| SF | Netanel Artzi | Hapoel Gilboa Galil |
Source: basket.co.il

#### Sixth Man of the Year

| Pos. | Player | Team |
| F/C | Suleiman Braimoh | Hapoel Eilat |
Source: basket.co.il

#### Rising Star

| Pos. | Player | Team |
| SG | Amit Gershon | Hapoel Be'er Sheva |
Source: basket.co.il

### Monthly Awards
#### Player of the Month

| Month | Rounds | Player | Team | EFF |
| October | 1–4 | John DiBartolomeo | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 21.0 |
| November | 5–8 | Elijah Bryant | Hapoel Eilat | 23.3 |
| December | 9–11 | Tal Dunne | Ironi Nes Ziona | 21.7 |
| January | 12–15 | Corey Walden | Hapoel Holon | 39.8 |
| February | 16–19 | J'Covan Brown | Hapoel Jerusalem | 23.7 |
| March | 20–23 | Suleiman Braimoh | Hapoel Eilat | 27.3 |
| April | 24–28 | James Feldeine | Hapoel Jerusalem | 26.3 |

#### Israeli Player of the Month

| Month | Rounds | Player | Team | EFF | Ref. |
| October | 1–4 | – | – | – | – |
| November | 5–8 | Tomer Ginat (1/2) | Hapoel Tel Aviv | 20.0 | |
| December | 9–11 | – | – | – | – |
| January | 12–15 | Yovel Zoosman | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 14.4 | |
| February | 16–19 | Tomer Ginat (2/2) | Hapoel Tel Aviv | 17.0 | |
| March | 20–23 | Guy Pnini | Hapoel Holon | 16.0 | |
| April | 24–28 | Amar'e Stoudemire | Hapoel Jerusalem | 17.8 | |

#### Coach of the Month

| Month | Rounds | Coach | Team | W-L |
| October | 1–4 | Ariel Beit-Halahmy | Hapoel Gilboa Galil | 3–1 |
| November | 5–8 | Sharon Drucker (1/2) | Hapoel Eilat | 4–0 |
| December | 9–11 | Nadav Zilberstein | Ironi Nes Ziona | 3–0 |
| January | 12–16 | Guy Goodes | Maccabi Rishon LeZion | 4–1 |
| February | 17–19 | Oded Kattash | Hapoel Jerusalem | 3–0 |
| March | 20–24 | Rami Hadar | Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 4–1 |
| April | 24–29 | Sharon Drucker (2/2) | Hapoel Eilat | 5–1 |

### MVP of the Round

| Round | Player | Team | EFF |
| October |||||
| 1 | Myke Henry (1/2) | Ironi Nahariya | 27 |
| 2 | Taylor Braun | Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 36 |
| 3 | Bryant Crawford (1/2) | Hapoel Gilboa Galil | 28 |
| 4 | Ian Miller | Hapoel Gilboa Galil | 34 |
| November |||||
| 5 | Bryant Crawford (2/2) | Hapoel Gilboa Galil | 28 |
| 7 | Paul Stoll | Maccabi Ashdod | 40 |
| 8 | James Feldeine (1/2) | Hapoel Jerusalem | 20 |
| December |||||
| 9 | Daequan Cook (1/2) | Ironi Nes Ziona | 19 |
| 10 | Tal Dunne | Ironi Nes Ziona | 28 |
| January |||||
| 12 | JP Tokoto | Hapoel Eilat | 45 |
| 13 | Corey Walden (1/4) | Hapoel Holon | 35 |
| 14 | Corey Walden (2/4) | Hapoel Holon | 46 |
| 15 | Gary Browne | Ironi Nes Ziona | 36 |
| February |||||
| 17 | James Kelly | Hapoel Gilboa Galil | 31 |
| 18 | Jake Pemberton | Maccabi Ashdod | 31 |
| March |||||
| 21 | Shawn Jones | Hapoel Holon | 30 |
| 22 | Darion Atkins | Hapoel Holon | 38 |
| 23 | Myke Henry (2/2) | Ironi Nahariya | 28 |
| April |||||
| 24 | Corey Walden (3/4) | Hapoel Holon | 36 |
| 25 | Daequan Cook (2/2) | Ironi Nes Ziona | 29 |
| 27 | Greg Whittington | Hapoel Gilboa Galil | 41 |
| 28 | Xavier Rathan-Mayes | Bnei Herzliya | 25 |
| 29 | James Feldeine (2/2) | Hapoel Jerusalem | 32 |
| May |||||
| 30 | Mark Tollefsen | Maccabi Ashdod | 29 |
| 31 | Corey Walden (4/4) | Hapoel Holon | 43 |
| 32 | Amit Gershon | Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 37 |
| 33 | Nimrod Levi | Maccabi Ashdod | 38 |

## Israeli clubs in European competitions

| Team | Competition | Progress |
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | EuroLeague | Regular season |
| Hapoel Jerusalem | Champions League | Quarter-finals |
| Hapoel Tel Aviv | Champions League | First qualifying round |
| Hapoel Holon | Champions League | Regular season |
| Hapoel Holon | FIBA Europe Cup | Semi-finals |
| Ironi Nes Ziona | FIBA Europe Cup | Round of 16 |