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Message: <br /><br /> If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/38469/full/38469/israeli-omri-casspi-goes-to-sacramento-in-first-round-of-nba-draft/ <br /><br /> <b>Israeli Omri Casspi goes to Sacramento in first round of NBA draft</b> <br /> Friday, June 26, 2009 | by jta and jpost.com <br /><br /><p>An Israeli basketball player was picked in the first round of the NBA draft for the first time.</p> <p>Omri Casspi was selected by the Sacramento Kings as the 23rd pick in the draft. Israeli players had been selected in the second round of the draft three previous times. A first round pick receives a guaranteed multiyear contract, while a second-round pick's contract is not required to be guaranteed -- meaning if the player is cut from the team, he will not be paid.</p> <p>The 21-year-old Casspi is a 6-foot, 9-inch forward who helped lead his Maccabi Tel Aviv team to a league championship last year, averaging 12.6 points per game, according to media reports. He also was named to the all-league team and is a member of the Israeli national team.</p> <p>Casspi watched the draft from his home with his family, choosing not to travel to New York so he could share the moment with his loved ones. Israel's Sport 5 television broadcast the draft live from 2:30 a.m. local time - posting a camera in the living room of Casspi's parents in the city of Yavne and capturing his emotional reaction to the pick.</p> <p><span class="lead">"I can't speak," Casspi said, tears pouring down his face. "I've been waiting for this moment all my life."</span></p> <p><span class="lead">"I'm as happy as can be," he said. "We made history. I feel like I am in a dream."</span></p> <p>Casspi will be the first Israeli to actually play in the league. In 1996, Doron Sheffer was selected in the second round, but decided to play for Maccabi Tel Aviv instead.</p> <p>In 1999, Oded Katash agreed to a two-year contract with the New York Knicks, but never got to play because of the extended player lockout that year, and returned to Israel to play for Maccabi Tel Aviv.</p> <p>In the 2006 draft, Israelis Lior Eliyahu and Yotam Halperin were chosen by the Houston Rockets and the Seattle SuperSonics, respectively. Neither has ever played a game in the NBA.</p> <p>However, Casspi's first-round selection all but guarantees that he will suit up for the Kings in the near future.</p> <p>Casspi said he will soon travel to Sacramento to finalize his contract. He told Sport 5 that the Kings asked him what number he would like to wear. He said he chose to stay with his Maccabi number - 13.</p> <p>"Any time you fulfill a dream a new one arises," he said, as friends poured champagne on his head. "I'm in a great place now and the goal is to become a legitimate NBA player."</p> <p> </p>

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