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TPS-IL on 13 March, 2025
Israel Can’t Crown Basketball Champion as War Abuptly Ends Tournament
Jerusalem, 16 June, 2025 (TPS-IL) -- The 2024/25 Israeli Basketball Super League season abruptly ended on Monday night with league officials unable to hold the third and deciding game of its championship tournament due to Home Front Command restrictions and foreign players leaving the country.
With missile attacks ongoing and no safe venue available, league officials announced Monday night that the final match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Jerusalem would not be played. The game was originally scheduled for Sunday.
“In light of the current war situation, which does not allow the final game to be held properly, the 2024/25 season of the Men’s Basketball Premier League ends with this,” the administration said in a statement.
League officials stressed their preference that the championship be determined on the court but acknowledged that was no longer feasible.
“The committee emphasized that the decision on the identity of the champion should be made solely on the court and in a sporting manner,” the statement said. “Since the final game intended to decide the identity of the champion cannot be held, it was decided that no champion will be declared in the Premier League this season.”
Foreign players from both Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Jerusalem played a major role in the decision. Maccabi’s foreign contingent demanded to leave Israel immediately and departed via Jordan earlier Monday. Hapoel Jerusalem’s foreign players are also expected to leave within the next 24 hours. The players had previously held discussions among themselves and agreed that none would take the court under the current conditions.
In the last 24 hours, league officials explored an emergency proposal to hold the game behind closed doors in Eilat, but the Home Front Command rejected the plan. Moreover, the teams themselves could not reach an agreement.
As a consolation, the league announced it will organize a high-profile preseason game between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Jerusalem at the start of the 2025/26 season. However, that match will carry no bearing on the current championship.
Twenty-four people have been killed and hundreds injured in four days of Iranian missile attacks.
Israel launched preemptive strikes against Iranian nuclear sites on Friday, citing intelligence that Tehran had reached “a point of no return” in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. According to Israeli defense officials, Iran has developed the capacity to rapidly enrich uranium and assemble nuclear bombs, with sufficient fissile material for up to 15 weapons.
Israeli intelligence also exposed a covert program to complete all components of a nuclear device. The strikes mark a dramatic escalation in what officials describe as a broader Iranian strategy combining nuclear development, missile proliferation, and proxy warfare aimed at Israel’s destruction.
