Lior Eliyahu
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| Maccabi Tel Aviv | |
|---|---|
| Power Forward Small Forward |
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| Personal information | |
| Born | September 9, 1985 Ramat Gan, Israel |
| Nationality |  Israeli |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 232 lb (105 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA Draft | 2006 / 2nd round, 44th overall |
| Selected by the Orlando Magic | |
| Pro career | 2003–present |
| League | Israeli Super League Euroleague Adriatic |
| Career history | |
| Hapoel Galil Elyon (2003–06) Maccabi Tel-Aviv (2006–09) Caja Laboral (2009–10) Maccabi Tel-Aviv (2010–) |
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Lior Eliyahu (Hebrew: לִיאוֹר אֱלִיָּהוּ; born September 9, 1985) is an Israeli professional basketball player. He is 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) in height and he weighs 102 kg (225 pounds). He plays at the power forward position, but he can also play small forward. The Houston Rockets own his NBA Draft rights. He is currently with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
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[edit] Early life
Eliyahu is Jewish,[1] and was born in Ramat Gan, Israel.
[edit] Pro career
Eliyahu grew up in the youth system of Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan, but moved to Galil for the 2004–05 season, in order to further his career. The move paid off when, under the guidance of Oded Katash, Eliyahu made great strides in improving his game. After the 2005–06 season, Eliyahu entered the 2006 NBA Draft, a move criticized by Hanoch Mintz, Eliyahu's coach during his time in Ramat Gan.
In pre-draft camps in Europe, Eliyahu impressed along with fellow Israeli Yotam Halperin and when the camp was finished in Treviso, Italy, both had dramatically climbed the mock draft charts. On June 28, 2006, he made national headlines in Israel by being selected by the Orlando Magic with the 44th pick of the 2006 NBA Draft. He was later traded to the Houston Rockets for cash considerations. He also impressed during matches of Maccabi against NBA teams. During the Euroleague 2006-07 season, Eliyahu averaged 10.8 points per game.
In December 2008, Eliyahu became the first Israeli to be named the MVP of the Euroleague for a month during the season. He recorded a double double in all three games he played during December. Overall for the 2008–09 Euroleague season, Eliyahu averaged 14.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. In 2009, Eliyahu signed a 4 year contract worth €6 million euros net income with the Spanish League club Caja Laboral[2] and won Spanish national championship with his new team in 2010 scoring 18 points in the deciding game against Euroleague champions Barcelona.[3]
In September 2010 he returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv, signing a five-year contract.[4]
[edit] Israeli national team
Eliyahu has also been a member of the senior Israeli national basketball team. He played at the EuroBasket 2007, the EuroBasket 2009 and the EuroBasket 2011.
[edit] Awards and accomplishments
- FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship: All Tournament Team (2005)
- EuroChallenge: All-Star (2006)
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Israeli Sports". Jewish Sports Review 8 (87): 20. September/October 2011, accessed September 16, 2011.
- ^ "Eliyahu signs with TAU" (in Hebrew). Sports.walla.co.il. http://sports.walla.co.il/?w=/151/1491577. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
- ^ "Caja Laboral win ACB Championship". Eitb.com. June 16, 2010. http://www.eitb.com/sports/en/detail/445269/caja-laboral-win-acb-championship/. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
- ^ Lior Eliyahu signed with Maccabi for 5 years (Hebrew)
[edit] External links
- Lior Eliyahu at NBA.com
- Euroleague.net Profile
- Basketpedya.com Profile
- "Rockets Taking A Look At Eliyahu". http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/4923534.html.
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- 1985 births
- Israeli basketball players
- Jewish basketball players
- Israeli Jews
- Israeli Basketball Super League players
- Living people
- Orlando Magic draft picks
- Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. players
- Power forwards (basketball)
- Small forwards
- Liga ACB players
- Hapoel Galil Elyon players
- Saski Baskonia players
- People from Ramat Gan
