Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball club started its activities in mid-1930. In 1954, the Israeli Basketball League was founded and Maccabi won the first championship. The team has never finished lower than third place in the national league. Maccabi Tel Aviv is a traditional rival of the other team Hapoel Tel Aviv city, however the last time that “Reds” won a national title in 1969. Since then, the only team that has defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv in the championship was the Hapoel Galil Elyon in 1993, led by Doron Sheffer and coached by Pinhas “Pini” Gershon. In 1958, Maccabi Tel Aviv joined international competition and became one of the best basketball teams in Europe. In August 2005, Maccabi Tel Aviv had played 577 matches in European competitions and winning 359 of them, scoring 50,012 points against their opponents 48150. The first European club championship came in 1977, under coach Ralph Klein.In the final game in Belgrade, Yugoslavia beats Maccabi Tel Aviv 78:77 Mobilgirgi Varese, thanks to Jim Boatwright (26 points), Miki Berkovich, Aulcie Perry and the rest of the team. But perhaps even had more symbolic value was in the semifinal where they got the win over CSKA Moscow. The Soviets refused to play in Tel Aviv as the party took place in a neutral, Belgium. In the eyes of the whole country, not only was an important victory, it became a form of ‘revenge’ in the Soviet Union, the country that supported Israel’s enemies. “We are on the map,” proclaimed captain Tal Brody after the game – “And they have been on the road, not only in sports but in every aspect.” Maccabi Tel Aviv was actually in the European basketball map, and in 1981 won another European Cup this time beating the 80:79 Bologna Sinudyne. During the 1980s, Maccabi Tel Aviv came to the final of the European Basketball Cup five times, won one and lost the other four.The 1990s were Maccabi “black decade” with the management team only in a Final Four appearance in 10 years, and even losing the 1993 title. Pini Gershon in 1998, then considered one of the most vocal of “fighting Maccabees in Israel, became the head coach, possibly ushering in the best period in club history. The team reached the Euroleague final in 2000, falling to Panathinaikos in a close game (ironically, the former Maccabi Tel Aviv and the national team Oded Kattash was the decisive player in the final game). The following year, the teams met again in the final of the SuproLeague in Paris, and the club of Israel, headed by Arriel McDonald, Anthony Parker and Nate Huffman won the game 81:67. Gershon decided to retire, but returned for the 2003/04 season, Anthony Parker also returned for the second stage in the club.The star of Lithuania Ar nas Jasikevi ius (known as “Shares” in Israel) had joined the team, and Maccabi reached the final of the Euroleague season 2003/04, defeating Skipper Bologna in the Euroleague final game which took place in Tel Aviv, in an unprecedented point spread (118:74. The team returned to the Euroleague Final Four (held in Moscow), in 2005, is facing tough challenges due to increasing dominance of CSKA Moscow , club favored to win. In a few in European basketball community had foreseen, it will face in the final four TAU Ceramica, Panathinaikos, CSKA Moscow and Maccabi Tel Aviv. In the semi-final Maccabi Tel Aviv Once again, it was rival Panathinaikos, and then proceeded to defeat in a very competitive final Tau Ceramica (90:78) on 8 May 2005. On 16 October 2005, Maccabi Tel Aviv set another milestone in its basketball history when he defeated the Toronto Raptors of the NBA.It was his first victory in more than 27 years in an NBA team, the first victory over an NBA team by any team in the Euroleague at 17 years and Europe’s first victory over a team in the NBA in the ground North America. Anthony Parker jump shot with 0.8 seconds liftedthe Euroleague champion in Toronto 105:103. In the 2005/06 season, Maccabi finished with two national titles for its 46th championship and 36 State Cup, after two victories over Hapoel Jerusalem. During the Euroleague Final Four, Maccabi Tel Aviv met Tau Ceramica in the first semifinal game, and won the game 85-70. Maccabi Tel Aviv facing CSKA Moscow in the final on April 30, 2006, losing 73:69.During the summer, their “dynasty” ended as Anthony Parker and Maceo Baston followed Jasikevi ius and left for the NBA, leading to a major revision of the list of the club, and a mediocre season 2006/07 (although the team still won the national championship and qualified for the quarterfinals of the Euroleague). The 2007 / 8 season opened with hope, as Oded Katash, a former player, was named head coach. Maccabi has hosted the final of the European Cup in 1972 and the Euroleague Final Four twice (1994 and 2004), and has hosted All Star European events four times.