Tal Brody, Israel’s Goodwill Ambassador and former basketball star of Maccabi Tel Aviv, spent time in Oakland, Calif., Wednesday afternoon. Brody arrived to San Francisco after a short trip to Seattle and Portland and began his Bay Area stay with two wonderful events with Oakland youth.
Brody visited the students of Northern Light School (NLS) in West Oakland. NLS serves kindergarten through 8th grade, and helps all of its students attend private high schools on partial or full scholarships. A majority of those students then go on to graduate from colleges, universities and graduate schools. Brody told the students his story of choosing to play basketball in Israel instead of playing in the NBA. To Brody, the possibility of inspiring an entire nation meant more than the prestige of professional basketball in the states. And he certainly inspired a nation. Brody led Maccabi Tel Aviv to a European Cup Championship, putting Israel on the map. Brody’s message to the kids was that it all comes down to believing in oneself. No one believed Israel could beat the Soviet Union and go on to win the international tournament, but Israel believed it could… and they did.
The students of NLS listened intently, asked Brody questions, and left the assembly inspired. The students were so inspired, in fact, that they told their principal, Michelle Lewis, that they want to add Brody to their Hall of Heroes!
Following his visit to NLS, Brody met with the students at the East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC). EOYDC works to empower youth and young adults with the mission to “develop the social and leadership capacities of youth so that they achieve excellence in education, career and service to their communities.” In EOYDC’s recently renovated gym, Brody, whistle in hand, refereed a scrimmage with the students in the afterschool program. The kids were excited to show off their basketball skills. They impressed Tal, not only with their on-court skills, but also with their character, cheering on their teammates from the bench.
To cap off the eventful day, Brody and Consul General Andy David attended the Golden State Warriors’ playoff win versus the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.