A young Israeli guard has received an NBA opportunity for the 2026-27 season.
The 21-year-old Noam Yaacov has signed an Exhibit 10 training camp deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He becomes the third former EuroLeague player to join the Cavaliers this offseason, following the additions of Mario Hezonja and Khalifa Diop.
Yaacov spent last season with Filou Oostende in Belgium, where he averaged 17.4 points, 5.8 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game in the BNXT League while helping Oostende reach the league finals.
He was also one of the finalists for the 2025-26 BNXT League MVP award.
In Basketball Champions League competition, Yaacov averaged 15.0 points, 7.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds over six appearances for Oostende.
Yaacov committed to Utah this summer
Before receiving an NBA opportunity, Yaacov signed with Utah earlier this offseason but was ruled ineligible by the NCAA.
Yaacov also went through the 2026 NBA Draft process. He was automatically eligible for the draft because of his age, participated in the NBA Draft Combine process and ultimately went undrafted before signing with Utah.
Yaacov already has EuroLeague and EuroCup experience
Yaacov began his senior career with Hapoel Emek Hefer before moving to French club ASVEL in 2021.
He later spent part of the 2022-23 season with Hapoel Jerusalem, where he was part of the team that won the Israeli Cup.
Yaacov returned to ASVEL for the 2023-24 campaign and appeared in 26 EuroLeague games, averaging 2.2 points and 1.3 assists in 10.0 minutes per game.
For the 2024-25 season, Yaacov joined Hapoel Tel Aviv. He averaged 4.9 points, 4.0 assists and 2.1 rebounds across 19 Israeli League appearances, while also playing eight EuroCup games. Hapoel went on to win the 2025 EuroCup title.
He then moved to Oostende, where he took on a larger role during the 2025-26 season.
Established member of the Israeli national team
The 1.85-meter point guard, who was born in Virum, Denmark, has represented Israel at both youth and senior levels.
At the 2022 FIBA U18 European Championship, Yaacov averaged 19.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists.
He later averaged 16.1 points, 7.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds at the 2023 FIBA U20 European Championship, followed by 15.6 points, 7.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds at the 2024 edition.
Yaacov made his senior national team debut in 2023 and has since appeared for Israel in both FIBA World Cup and EuroBasket qualifying competitions.