Sports

Maccabi Tel Aviv downs Haifa in Classico to reach State Cup final

The Israeli Classico, one of the biggest matches that the Holy Land can offer between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa, is always an anticipated clash.

|ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
MACCABI TEL AVIV players celebrate their 3-2 victory over Maccabi Haifa in the State Cup semifinal at Teddy Stadium.
VASILIJE MICIC and Hapoel Tel Aviv are headed to the Euroleague playoffs in their first season in the competition, while Maccabi Tel Aviv’s continental campaign is over.

Blueprint vs breakdown: Hapoel Tel Aviv’s plan delivers, while Maccabi pays the price

As EuroCup champs, Hapoel was given a one-year temporary license, so to speak, to the Euroleague, and anything after that was not guaranteed unless the Reds advanced to the playoffs.

|ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS Israeli forward Deni Avdija drives on Phoenix Suns guard Collin Gillespie for two of his game-high 41 points in the Blazers’ 114-110 victory

Blazers ride Avdija's late heroics to play-in victory over Suns

Avdija's ability to control the game stood out as much as the scoring. Avdija shot 15-of-22 from the field, added 12 assists, and dictated the tempo throughout his 38 minutes on the court.

|ByJERUSALEM POST SPORTS STAFF
Thousands of runners take part in the annual marathon in Jerusalem, April 4, 2025.

Jerusalem Marathon's full race canceled due to weather conditions

The full marathon, which spans 42.2 kilometers, was scheduled to take place on Friday amid growing excitement and demand for the event.

|ByARIELLA ROITMAN

Deni Avdija drawn into political storm after Netanyahu’s All-Star praise

Netanyahu’s message, posted shortly after Avdija was named an All-Star reserve, read: “Every time you step onto the court, our country shines with pride.”

FEBRUARY 3, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST SPORTS STAFF
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS forward Deni Avdija, the first Israeli selected to the NBA All-Star Game, has found his historic achievement followed by online backlash after a congratulatory message from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel’s basketball powerhouse: Deni Avdija’s meteoric rise to NBA stardom

Deni Avdija has become the fulcrum of Portland’s offense and one of the most productive two-way forwards in the league.

JANUARY 31, 2026ByASHER SMITH
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS forward Deni Avdija (8) scores a basket during the first half against Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic (5) at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.

Jewish and Israeli athletes to watch in the 2026 Winter Olympics

Israel will send nine athletes to Milan for the 2026 Olympic Games, its second-largest delegation at its ninth Winter Olympics.

JANUARY 31, 2026ByJACOB GURVIS/JTA
Some of the Jewish and Israeli 2026 Winter Olympians, from left: Noa Szollos, Quinn Hughes, A.J. Edelman, Attila Mihály Kertész and Mariia Seniuk.

Curse is broken: Hapoel Tel Aviv’s night to remember after derby drought - comment

Over the course of these 30 contests that were sandwiched between wins, Maccabi won 25 times and drew five games as it scored 56 goals and conceded only 10.

JANUARY 30, 2026ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
The scene at Bloomfield Stadium was bedlam as Hapoel Tel Aviv players and fans celebrated together after the Reds earned their first derby victory over arch-rival Maccabi since 2014.

Everyone loves Rayman after Maccabi Tel Aviv's Euroleague triumph

Above all, the player who contributed to the win over the Greeks was Will Rayman, who perhaps made the most important and critical play, a play that wasn’t even with the ball.

JANUARY 25, 2026ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN
MACCABI TEL AVIV'S Will Rayman (11) has earned an increasingly important role with the club and he was instrumental in the yellow-and-blue's 75-71 Euroleague victory over Panathinaikos.

Saudi Arabia postpones 2029 Asian Winter Games at NEOM after repeated delays

The postponement marks a setback for the kingdom, which has committed to hosting several major events over the next decade.

JANUARY 25, 2026ByREUTERS
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman announces a zero-carbon city called "The Line" to be built at NEOM in northwestern Saudi Arabia, January 10, 2021.

Can you predict a pitchers' duel before betting odds shift?

JANUARY 21, 2026ByDAVID RABINOWICZ
Baseball Betting.

Maccabiah award honors Werder Bremen fans' stand against antisemitism

The award was given to the Hersh Goldberg-Polin Circle of Friends, which was created to commemorate slain Gaza hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin.

JANUARY 19, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST SPORTS STAFF
SV Werder Bremen President Dr. Hubertus Hess-Grunewald; Malte, Representative of the Hersh Friendship Circle; Alon Meyer, President of Makkabi Germany; Arnd Zeigler, SV Werder Stadium Speaker.

When Jewish athletes dominated Polish sport: A lost legacy

From soccer to fencing, Jewish athletes once dominated Polish sports, and now their story is being told in Ramat Gan.

JANUARY 17, 2026ByBARRY DAVIS
The Maccabi Krakow ice hockey team in full flow during a game in 1934.

Alex Bregman, who drew a Jewish star on his cap after October 7, inks $175M deal with the Cubs

Bregman's contract with the Chicago Cubs is the second-largest contract ever signed by a Jewish ballplayer, behind Max Fried’s $218 million contract in 2024.

JANUARY 17, 2026ByJACOB GURVIS/JTA
Alex Bregman meets the media during his first press conference after signing with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on January 15, 2026.