Mody Maor (Hebrew: מודי מאור; born 27 June 1985) is an Israeli-American professional basketball coach for the Nagasaki Velca of the Japanese B.League.

Mody Maor
מודי מאור
Nagasaki Velca
PositionHead coach
LeagueB.League
Personal information
Born (1985-06-27) 27 June 1985 (age 39)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
NationalityIsraeli / American
Coaching career2012–present
Career history
As coach:
2012–2014Hapoel Holon (assistant)
2014–2016Maccabi Ashdod (assistant)
2016–2017Hapoel Jerusalem (assistant)
2017–2018Hapoel Jerusalem
2019–2022New Zealand Breakers (assistant)
2022–2024New Zealand Breakers
2024–presentNagasaki Velca
Career highlights and awards
As assistant coach:

Early life

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Maor was born in Los Angeles and moved to Israel when he was eight. He began his national service at the age of 18. He joined the Special Forces and was an officer for the final three years of his five-year term in the army. He embarked on a career as a professional basketball coach in 2012.[1]

Coaching career

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In 2019, Maor joined the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League as an assistant coach under Dan Shamir.[1] In 2022, he was elevated to head coach of the Breakers.[2][3] He guided the Breakers to the 2022–23 NBL grand final series, where they lost 3–2 to the Sydney Kings.[4] On 23 May 2024, he quit as Breakers head coach to pursue a coaching opportunity in Asia.[5][6] Maor is heading to Japan to become the head coach of Nagasaki Velca in Japan's B.League on a two-year deal.[7]

Personal life

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Maor has two daughters, both of whom were born in New Zealand.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Long, David (25 October 2023). "Breakers coach Mody Maor: 'My family is in shelters, my friends are at war'". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  2. ^ Hinton, Marc (11 May 2022). "Dan Shamir quits as head coach of NZ Breakers, Mody Maor confirmed to assume top job". Stuff. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  3. ^ Hinton, Marc (30 September 2022). "Mody Maor embraces Kiwi identity as he guides NZ Breakers back to NBL normality". Stuff.
  4. ^ Hinton, Marc (15 March 2023). "Sydney Kings outlast NZ Breakers in decider to claim back-to-back NBL championships". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  5. ^ Hinton, Marc (23 May 2024). "Basketball bombshell: Mody Maor quits as head coach of NBL's NZ Breakers". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  6. ^ "NBL: Mody Maor quits as NZ Breakers coach to take up deal in Japan". nzherald.co.nz. 23 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  7. ^ "Coach Mody Maor to leave NZ Breakers". ESPN.com. 23 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.