After Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary Tuesday, some Jewish New Yorkers openly pondered leaving New York.
The Brooklyn Nets just gave them two reasons to stay.
In a span of five minutes after 11 p.m. Wednesday night, the Nets drafted Israeli point guard Ben Saraf and University of Michigan seven-footer Danny Wolf, taking the draft’s two Jewish prospects with consecutive picks in a five-minute span.
In Brooklyn — where Orthodox fans are frequently seen sitting courtside — Saraf, who plays in the German league, and Wolf will form the first Jewish NBA tandem since the Wilt Chamberlain era. They are also the first pair of teammates in NBA history to hold Israeli citizenship; Wolf, who grew up in the Chicago suburbs, acquired his in 2024 to play for Israel’s under-20 team.
That Saraf, a 19-year-old described by The Ringer’s draft preview as a “lefty jitterbug,” was picked before Wolf came as a surprise, with most predictions ranking Wolf higher as a prospect. After Saraf was selected 26th overall, Wolf, who was projected to go several picks earlier, was shown on the ESPN telecast holding back tears.
Those tears flowed moments later as his slide ended. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called Wolf’s name at the podium, and Wolf, after hugging his two brothers — who were also college hoopers — donned a Nets cap and walked onstage to shake Silver’s hand.
Saraf had a good excuse for missing the big night: His current employer, Ratiopharm Ulm, is playing in a winner-takes-all Game 5 in the Bundesliga championship.
The selection of two Jewish players completes a reversal of sorts for the Nets, who in late 2022 became embroiled in an antisemitism scandal after star point guard Kyrie Irving posted a link to a film that denied the Holocaust, blamed Jewish people for slavery and accused them of usurping Jewish identity from Black people. For days, Irving refused to apologize, ultimately leading the NBA to suspend him and the franchise to trade him in February 2023.
Louis Keene is a reporter for the Forward. His work has also been published in The New York Times, New York magazine and Vice. He is based in Los Angeles.