He’s used his global platform as a springboard to advocate for his country, an opportunity he wasn’t afforded before reaching the NBA. During international flights with the Israeli National Team, Casspi and his countrymen are always instructed to hide their team apparel within their luggage due to safety concerns.
“It’s sad to me, really,” Casspi said. The team is accompanied by six armed security guards and local law enforcement escorts the team upon their arrival.
During his four years with Maccabi Tel Aviv, Casspi faced anti-Semitism inside every road arena. “That’s just normal,” Casspi said. “It’s just part of Maccabi’s way.”
Life in the NBA opened a door he never imagined. “I feel like people want to know more,” Casspi said. “A lot of players in the Association are always asking, ‘What’s going on?’ ‘What do you think?’ ‘When’s it going to end?’ ‘What’s the solution?’ ‘How can you live like this?’”
Casspi decided to show them, first hand, this summer, escorting fellow Kings players DeMarcus Cousins and Caron Butler, as well as former teammates Chandler Parsons, Tyreke Evans, Iman Shumpert, Alan Anderson and Roger Mason to Israel for one week. The second Israeli-born NBA player, former Dallas Maverick Gal Mekel, also joined.
“Even though he got to leave and see the world, he still wants to give back and he wants to bring a lot of what he’s learned and who he’s met to where he’s from,” Shumpert said.
Yaron Talpaz, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s vice president of international operations, points out the significance of the trip: It meant more than basketball and more than politics.
“We know that the politics will always get most of the headlines, but there are more sides of Israel to show,” said Yaron Talpaz, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s vice president of international operations.
Talpaz recalls Sacramento’s visit to Madison Square Garden in 2010 as the catalyst of Casspi’s advocacy efforts. The rookie forward scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds in front of a raucous New York crowd during the Knicks’ “Jewish Heritage Night.” Talpaz watched live from Israel, broadcasting the game for The Sports Channel.
“Half of MSG that night [were] Casspi fans,” Talpaz said. “I think he understood the ability that he could do that after that crazy game.”