Tamir Goodman

Point Guard - Maccabi Haifa Heat

Israeli Premier League

Tamir Goodman, 27, is a 6-ft, 3-in. point guard who has played professionally both in the U.S. and Israel and has been called the “Jewish Jordan.” 

Goodman, an Orthodox Jew, fell in love with the game of basketball at age six.  As a 7th grader, he was already playing on the Yeshiva High of Greater Washington's varsity high school team and by 8th grade he was the team's starting point guard.  He garnered national media attention while starring at the Talmudical Academy of Baltimore, where he was named as one of the top 25 high school players in the country. His steadfast determination to be the best which provided him with the edge that he needed to fulfill his dream of playing top level basketball while maintaining an observant Jewish lifestyle.

With his exceptional ability to control the game as point guard, make near impossible shots, and throw behind the back passes, Goodman led his team to a 65-11 record over two seasons in the competitive Baltimore City Conference. He averaged 35.4 points his junior year (1998-1999) and 24.6 points his senior year (1999-2000) of high school. His success led to more than 700 media interviews, including 60 Minutes, ESPN, CBS, and Fox Sports, as well as cover stories of the New York Times, the Daily News, the Washington Post, and Baltimore Sun. He was also featured in a four-page spread in Sports Illustrated, in which Michael Bamberger dubbed Tamir Goodman as the "Jewish Jordan." 

Upon high school graduation, Goodman turned down a full scholarship at the University of Maryland due to scheduling conflicts related to his observances.  Then, a miracle happened.  The basketball players and coaches at Towson State University, a Division I school near Baltimore, heard about Tamir's story and respected him for remaining dedicated to his religious beliefs. Towson offered a scholarship and even managed to change the entire American East Conference schedule so that the majority of the school's basketball games would not conflict with the Jewish Sabbath.  Goodman played two seasons at Towson before signing with Maccabi Tel Aviv to begin his professional career in Israel.

In Israel, Goodman played five seasons for four different teams, reaching the Israeli Cup finals and Israeli Premier League Semifinals in 2003 with Maccabi Givat Shmuel. In 2007, Goodman returned to the U.S. to play for the Maryland Nighthawks of the Premier Basketball League (PBL), but was limited to only two games due to injuries.  Today, he is a member of the Maccabi Haifa Heat Professional Basketball Club of the Israeli Premier League and is emerging as one of the Jewish people's most dynamic and inspirational voices. His energetic approach and forthright engagement with the challenges of Jewish identity has engaged and motivated crowds, young and old, throughout Israel, England and North America.

“We are delighted to have Tamir join the team,” says Haifa Heat owner Jeffrey Rosen. “We expect that Tamir’s signing will bridge the relationship between the Israeli and American Jewish community as well as the Israeli and American basketball community.”

Goodman runs his own basketball camp throughout the U.S. called the Tamir Goodman Athletic Leadership Basketball Camp (TGALBC). The purpose of the camp is to bring together talented Jewish and African American players from around the country to strengthen the relationship between the two communities as well as develop them as great basketball players. He also works for Haifa Hoops For Kids, a non-profit organization that aids special needs and Israeli children affected by rockets that have been launched at the city of Sderot. For more information on Tamir Goodman Charities, visit www.tamirgoodman.com.