When Tamir Goodman refused a basketball scholarship because observing Shabbat was more important to him then playing or practising, he attracted a lot of people’s attention. He also drew his share of praise.
That’s exactly what the former Israeli professional basketball player was privy to in Winnipeg recently, where he spoke to Jewish students at the University of Winnipeg.
The one-time member of the Maccabi Haifa team talked about his inspirational journey and pumped up the importance of putting his Jewish values first.
A case in point is Haifa Hoops for Kids, an organization he is devoted to which raises money for underprivileged youth in Israel to play ball and go to games.
A standout player at his religious junior high school, Goodman was dubbed the ‘Jewish Jordan’ and became internationally famous when he turned down a full scholarship to play for the University of Maryland.
He later accepted a similar offer from Towson University because they reworked their schedule to accommodate his religious observance.
Later, Goodman played professionally in Israel before retiring last year.
Charitable causes and inspirational appearances are where Goodman is now the star player.