WNBA players in Israel are Alysha Clark, Jennie Simms, Kalani Brown, Chelsea Hopkins and Shakira Austin. Clark joined the Israeli side Elitzur Ramla in 2022.
Since the WNBA season lasts only for five to six months, players in the league often play in overseas leagues during the offseason. And among those, Israel has become a popular destination because of its growing competitive league.
Founded in 1957, the Israeli Female Basketball Premier League has been able to attract some of the top WNBA talents over the years.
Sue Bird stands out as the best among many top American basketball players who have played in Israel's women's league.
However, due to the ongoing Israel Palestine conflict, some players have chosen not to play in Israel in recent years. In 2021, several WNBA players withdrew from the Israel basketball league due to safety concerns.
Alysha Clark - Elitzur Ramla
Alysha Clark is a Las Vegas Aces WNBA star who also plays for Elitzur Ramla. Clark agreed to join the Israeli champions in December 2022.
For the 36-year-old veteran, who began her career with the Seattle Storm following the 2010 WNBA draft, it is not the first time she played in the West Asian country.
Previously, Clark played for Hapoel Rishon LeZion for a year in 2010 then moved to A.S. Ramat HaSharon club in 2011. Three years later in 2014, she decided to play for the popular Ligat Ha'al team Maccabi Bnot Ashdod.
Besides, in the WNBA, the 5-foot-11 forward clinched two championships with the Storm in 2018 and 2020.
After a decade of contributing to Seattle, Clark signed with the Washington Mystics in February 2021. Unfortunately, she missed the entire 2021 season due to a foot injury.
For the 2023 campaign, Clark made a move to the reigning WNBA winner Las Vegas Aces. In his 39 regular season games, she managed 6.7 points, 1.1 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game.
Jennie Simms - Elitzur Ramla
Jennie Simms is one of the Israeli born WNBA players who currently competes as a member of Israel national basketball team.
Simms, the Maryland native spent three years playing college basketball at Old Dominion Monarchs before making a big break into the WNBA in 2017.
Selected as the 18th overall pick by the Washington Mystics in the draft, she later joined the Indiana Fever in August 2017. However, her stint with the Fever was limited to just four matches.
The 6-foot guard then found the next chapter of her career in Israel where she spent five years till 2022. During her time there Simms played for five teams, most prominently for Elitzur Ramla and AS Ramat Hasharon.
She joined the Phoenix Mercury in 2022 before returning to Washington in August 2023 but was soon released. Jennie also has a contract left with Elitzur Ramla which she signed this year.
Kalani Brown - Maccabi Bnot Ashdod
Kalani Brown is another outstanding WNBA player who found an opportunity to showcase her talent in the basketball league of Israel.
Brown plays for the Maccabi Bnot Ashdod in Ligat Ha'al which she agreed to join in 2022. Came off as the 7th overall pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft, Kalani capped 28 games for the Sparks in her debut season averaging 5.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per match.
Afterward, she joined a Chinese club Xinjiang Magic Deer, came back to the WNBA to play for the Atlanta Dream for a season, and was on the move again to Turkish franchise, Kayseri Basketbol.
Brown joined her first Israeli basketball team Hatayspor in 2021. The following year, she inked a deal with Maccabi Bnot Ashdod.
The 26-year-old center also signed a contract with the Dallas Wings in 2023.
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough - Maccabi Bnot Ashdod
The 2019 WNBA champion Shatori Walker-Kimbrough signed to play for the Israeli team Maccabi Bnot Ashdod in 2022. Shatori was a 2017 WNBA draft pick.
While playing for Maccabi, Walker-Kimbrough scored an average of 20 points per game in the 2022-23. She also grabbed 20.0 points, made 5.3 assists, and 7.6 rebounds in each game.
Besides, she played with the Washington Mystics for three seasons. Her best was the 2019 WNBA campaign during which she smashed 6.7 points, 1.6 rebounds and recorded 1.2 assists per game.
In April 2020, the Mystics sent Shatori to the New York Liberty, but just two days afterward, the Liberty traded her to the Phoenix Mercury during the draft night.
Later, she joined the Connecticut Sun in 2021 before reuniting with Washington.
Shakira Austin - Elitzur Ramla
Shakira Austin is another Mystics player who has played professionally in Israel. Austin signed for Elitzur Ramla in September 2022.
The former Ole Miss was the 3rd overall pick in the 2022 draft for the Mystics. In her debut season, Austin played 38 games for the team including 2 playoff matchups.
For her delightful performances, she earned a selection to the WNBA All-Rookie Team in 2022.
Besides, the 23-year-old also had a successful time with the Ramla in the Israeli league. She guided Ramla to secure back-to-back championship victories and was named as the league's top player.
Her career achievements already look plentiful at just the age of 23:
- 2022 WNBA All-Rookie Team
- 2023 Israeli League Champion
- 2023 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP
- 2x First-team All-SEC
- Big Ten All-Defensive Team
- Second-team All-Big Ten
Chelsea Hopkins - Maccabi Haifa
Chelsea Hopkins has been playing offseason in Israel for nine years since 2013. Hopkins is a former SA Silver Stars player who joined Bnot Herzliya ahead of the 2013-14 season.
Two years later, she signed with Maccabi Daron and then with Mac. Ramat Gan. She won three Israeli cups with Herzelia, Ramat Gan and Ashdod in 2017/2018.
In her 2017 season with Ramat Gan, Hopkins earned the league's MVP while playing as a point guard. Also, she secured a championship with Ashdod in 2018/2019.
The playmaker also had a brief stint at NY Liberty and Atlanta Dream in 2017 and at Chicago Sky in 2018.
Moreover, Hopkins has been playing for Maccabi Haifa since she joined the team in 2021. She is one of a few WNBA players who spent a decade playing in the Israeli division.
Sue Bird
One of the most decorated WNBA athletes, Sue Bird also had a share of her playing career spent in Israel. Bird also holds an Israeli citizenship.
Though many women from the WNBA went on to play in the West Asian country before her, she was the first high-calibered player to join the Israeli league, Haaretz wrote in 2006.
Besides, on a personal level, the four-time WNBA champion has won many accolades which include 13 WNBA All-Stars, 5 All-WNBA First Team, 3 WNBA assists leaders and many more.
Her no. 10 jersey was retired by the Seattle Storm in regards to her immense contributions to the club.
On the other hand, Bird had also played in Russia during offseasons. She was a player for Dynamo Moscow, Spartak Moscow Region and UMMC Ekaterinburg.
Yarden Garzon
Yarden Garzon is a 2003 born basketball player from Ra’anana, Israel. Garzon stands at a height of 6 feet 3 inches and plays as a guard.
She has had a remarkable basketball journey. Kicked off a career with Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan, Garzon put up solid numbers with an average of 14.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.0 steals per game.
Additionally, she proudly played for the Israel Senior National Team during the EuroBasket 2023 qualifiers in November 2021.
The fresher at Indiana University hit an impressive 70 three-pointers, securing the fourth spot for most 3-pointers in a single season in IU's basketball history.
Furthermore, the 19-year-old has garnered massive attention following her All-Big Ten Second Team selection in the 2022-23 season and the All-Big Ten Freshman Team in the same year.
