Tamir Goodman
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Tamir Goodman (born January 18, 1982), dubbed by Sports Illustrated Magazine as the "Jewish Jordan," is an Orthodox Jewish basketball player.
Goodman first garnered national attention as a junior in high school, averaging 35.4 points per game for the Talmudical Academy of Baltimore. He earned recognition in Sports Illustrated and was interviewed by ESPN, 60 Minutes, and Fox Sports. In 11th grade, he was ranked the 25th-best high school player in the country. He was dubbed the "Jewish Jordan," a title he said he has been trying to downplay ever since.
Goodman received a scholarship to the University of Maryland, which has one of the top-ranked basketball teams in the country. The news of his plans to go to Maryland attracted over 700 media requests that week.[1]
But the team's schedule of practices and games would have meant playing on Friday nights and Saturdays, against the rules of Orthodox Judaism. He was released from his verbal commitment by the University of Maryland, College Park in 1999 after they could not meet his religious needs.
Goodman then accepted a scholarship from nearby Towson University. After averaging 6 points, 4 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game in his freshman year in 2000-2001, Goodman continued at Towson for his sophomore campaign until December 2001, when he had a falling out with his new coach , whom Goodman claims was anti-semitic. That caused Goodman to leave the team for the remainder of the season. Goodman would not return to Towson after that season, thus effectively ending his career there.
Goodman then fulfilled a dream of his by moving to Israel and signing a 3-year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv on July 22, 2002[2]. To get more playing time, he was loaned to Givat Shmuel for the 2002-2003 season and then played in a lower league for Kiryat Ata in the 2003-2004 season.
He went on to serve in the Israeli Defense Force, a requirement for all Israeli citizens.
Goodman then went back to Givat Shmuel to fulfill his contract for the 2005-2006 season. Goodman plays now for Maccabi Shoham in the 2nd basketball league of Israel.
Since moving to Israel, Goodman has married and fathered a daughter.
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