This cartoon, published in 1971 in Davar, shows the reaction of two Israeli basketball players to the arrival of a foreign player to their team. The two white Israeli players are asking, “Who is this Israeli?, as they stand next to a black player who is looking around slightly puzzled. The fact that the new player is black suggests that most of the foreign arrivals to the Israeli league were African Americans.
The trend of integrating American basketball players into the Israeli national team began with Tal Brody, the first American Jewish player in the Israeli basketball league. Subsequently, non-Jewish players began to arrive, many receiving Israeli citizenship over time. The opening up of the Israeli sports scene to international opportunities was an example of its ongoing commercialisation. The integration of the foreign players improved the level of Israeli basketball and the professionalism of Israeli players. However, some have criticised the fact that foreign players take the place of Israeli-born basketball players. Over the past decade, more than 200 foreign athletes have taken an active role in Israeli sports, in particular in basketball, football, volleyball, and handball.
