Episode #62- Tamir Goodman, retired professional basketball player, professional basketball club front office member, and sport entrepreneur, Jerusalem, Israel

Dubbed "The Jewish Jordan" by Sports Illustrated in 1999, Tamir Goodman is a former professional basketball player and current successful entrepreneur, coach, educator and motivational speaker. He was ranked the 25th best high school player in the country. He gained national attention after averaging over 35 points per game his junior year, all while remaining faithful to his Orthodox Jewish upbringing. He was named MVP of the prestigious “Capital Classic All-Star Game,” an award won by Shaquille O’Neal, Lebron James and other stars. He then made history as the first Jewish basketball player to play NCAA Division I college and professional basketball without playing on the Jewish Sabbath. Despite receiving a full scholarship to number-one ranked University of Maryland, he chose to play for NCAA Division I Towson University, as their schedule better accommodated his religious observance. The first freshman to start at Towson in over a decade, he was presented the Coach’s Award for his performance on the court and in the classroom. After the Sports Illustrated article, he was featured on 60 Minutes, ESPN, CNN, Fox and many others. He was covered in The New York Times, The Washington Post and in media sources across the United States, Israel and around the world. In 2002, he fulfilled his dream of moving to Israel when he was signed by top Israeli and European League basketball team, Maccabi Tel Aviv. Former NBA Coach, David Blatt, was the team’s coach at the time. In 2004, he took a break from playing basketball to serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) where he was awarded “Most Outstanding Soldier.” After a seven year long basketball playing career for some of the best Israeli teams including Maccabi Haifa and Givat Shmuel, he retired from professional basketball in 2009 after suffering career ending injuries. He currently runs a world class summer overnight basketball camp in Jerusalem for players from around the world; leading sports based programming for trips, schools and organizations; in demand Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah clinics featuring special chesed opportunities; and much more. He has coached over 5,000 kids and has run basketball camps and programs across the U.S. with Israeli NBA player, Omri Casspi.  A sport entrepreneur, he is also the founder of Zone190, a training device being used in the NBA, SportStrings Tzitzit, which provide high-performance sportswear with a certified kosher design that are compression-fit, moisture-wicking, durable and comfortable, and the Aviv Basketball Net, a moisture-wicking and antimicrobial basketball net engineered to dry and clean the ball each time it goes through the hoop. He is the published author of the "The Jewish Jordan's Triple Threat: Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Lessons from the Court," is an international motivational speaker, and a sports and business consultant. He holds a B.A. in communications and lives in Jerusalem with his wife and five kids. He can be reached at https://www.tamirgoodman.com/. His book can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Jordans-Triple-Threat-Spiritual/dp/1626810540/