Coach David Thorpe on the past, present and future of Israeli basketball

After helping Omri Casspi and Gal Mekel reach the NBA, Thorpe became enmeshed in Israel's burgeoning basketball dreams.
NBA Coach David Thorpe in conversation with The CJN's sports podcasters, the Menschwarmers.

Join the Menschwarmers for their upcoming live show, in conversation with legendary broadcaster Michael Landsberg, at the Prosserman JCC in Toronto on Sept. 12, 2023. Reserve your seat here.

Outside of executive offices, David Thorpe is one of the biggest Jewish names in the NBA—a player development coach who’s helped countless athletes, especially young prospects, reach new heights and meet their goals of competing on the world’s biggest basketball stage.

Among those athletes have been Omri Casspi and Gal Mekel, two of Israel’s biggest basketball stars; after he helped them get drafted into the NBA, word began to spread in the Holy Land, and Coach Thorpe found himself flown into Israel to help cultivate a homegrown scene there.

Hear him tell these stories and more, including some FIBA discussions and how his parents instilled Jewish values in him personally, in this deep-dive interview on Menschwarmers.

Credits

Menschwarmers is hosted by James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver, and produced and edited by Michael Fraiman. Our intro music is by Coby Lipovitch, and our outro music is “Organ Grinder Swing” by chēēZ π. This show is a member of The CJN Podcast Network. Follow the Menschwarmers on Twitter @menschwarmers. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast or donating to The CJN.

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