Tamir Goodman

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Tamir Goodman (born January 18, 1982), dubbed by Sports Illustrated Magazine as the "Jewish Jordan," is the first Orthodox Jewish basketball player.^[1]

Goodman grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, to am Orthodox Jewish family with five brothers. He began playing basketball at five years of age, but he first garnered national attention as a junior in high school, averaging 35.4 points per game for the Talmudical Academy of Baltimore. He earned recognition in Sports Illustrated and was interviewed by ESPN, 60 Minutes, and Fox Sports. In 11th grade, he was ranked the 25th-best high school player in the country. He was dubbed the "Jewish Jordan," nicknamed JJ, a title he said he has been trying to downplay ever since.

Goodman received a scholarship to the University of Maryland, which had one of the top-ranked basketball teams in the country. The news of his plans to go to Maryland attracted over 700 media requests that week.^[2] The team's schedule of practices and games, however, meant having to play on Friday nights and Saturdays, against the rules of Orthodox Judaism. He was released from his verbal commitment by the University of Maryland, College Park in 1999 after the University could not meet Goodman's religious needs.

Goodman then accepted a scholarship from nearby Towson University. After averaging 6 points, 4 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game in his freshman year in 2000-2001, Goodman continued at Towson for his sophomore campaign until December 2001, when he had a falling out with his new coach, whom Goodman feels was anti-Semitic. That caused Goodman to leave the team.

Goodman then fulfilled a dream of his by moving to Israel and signing a 3-year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv on July 22, 2002.^[3] To get more playing time, he was loaned to Givat Shmuel for the 2002-2003 season, but he never got the playing time he expected, failing to meet the high expectations fans had for him. He then played in a lower league for Kiryat Ata in the 2003-2004 season.

He went on to serve in the Israeli Defense Force, a requirement for all Israeli citizens.

He suffered a knee injury that required surgery. After nine months of physical therapy, he went back to Givat Shmuel to fulfill his contract for the 2005-2006 season. He averaged just under seven minutes a game.

Eager to display his skills, he dropped down to Israel's second division to play for Maccabi Shoham. In his first two games, he played more than 20 minutes and scored close to 20 points a game. But in December 2006, Goodman's left knee gave out again and his doctors ordered him to undergo weeks of physical therapy. He didn't get to play again until March 2007.

In late 2007, he moved back to Maryland to play for the Maryland Nighthawks of the newly formed Premier Basketball League. Since moving to Israel, Goodman has married and fathered a daughter.^[4] He is currently speaking around America at yeshivas, motivating Orthodox Jewish students to try their best to fulfill their dreams but also remain steady to their religion.