Ralph Klein (basketball)

Ralph Klein, also known as Rafael "Ralph" Ram (Hebrew: רלף קליין‎ July 29, 1931 – August 7, 2008) was an Israeli professional basketball player and coach. In Israel, he was known as "Mr. Basketball".

This article is about the Israeli basketball coach. For the Canadian politician, see Ralph Klein.
Ralph Klein
Ralph Klein, 2006
Personal information
Born(1931-07-29)July 29, 1931
Berlin, Germany
DiedAugust 7, 2008(2008-08-07) (aged 77)
Tel HaShomer, Israel
NationalityHungarian / Israeli
Listed height6 ft 3.75 in (1.92 m)
Career information
Playing career1952–1964
PositionShooting guard
Coaching career1964–2008
Career history
As player:
1952–1964Maccabi Tel Aviv
As coach:
1964–1965Hapoel Gan Shmuel
1965–1966Hapoel Haifa
1967–1968Hapoel Tel Aviv
1969–1972Maccabi Tel Aviv
1972–1973Hapoel Jerusalem
1974–1975Hapoel Haifa
1975–1980Maccabi Tel Aviv
1977–1983Israel
1981–1983Maccabi Tel Aviv
1983–1986Saturn Köln
1983–1987West Germany
1987–1988Maccabi Tel Aviv
1991Hapoel Gvat
1992–1993Hapoel Tel Aviv
1995Maccabi Tel Aviv
1996Hapoel Eilat
1997Hapoel Holon
1998Maccabi Netanya
2006–2008Elizur Elkana
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As head coach:

Medals
Representing  Israel
Men’s Basketball
FIBA EuroBasket
1979 Italy

Early life

Klein was born in Berlin, during the time of the Weimar Republic, to an affluent Hungarian Jewish family, that returned to Budapest, before the outbreak of World War II. His father died in Auschwitz, but he and his family survived.[1] thanks to efforts by Raoul Wallenberg.

Basketball playing career

Club career

After the war, at the age of 16, Klein began playing football, but later moved to basketball, and played in the Hungarian national league. In 1951, he immigrated to Israel, with his mother.

After serving in the Israeli navy, he joined Maccabi Tel Aviv, with which he played in more than 160 games, through 1964. With Maccabi Tel Aviv, he scored 2,701 total points, and won eight Israeli Super League national championships and six Israeli State Cups.[1]

National team career

Klein was also a member of the senior Israeli national team. With Israel's senior national team, he played at the 1952 Summer Olympic Games, and at the 1954 edition of the FIBA World Cup. He also played at the 1953, 1959, 1961, and 1963 editions of the FIBA EuroBasket. He also played at the 1960 Pre-Olympic Tournament. In total, Klein played in 68 games with the senior Israeli national team.[1]

Basketball coaching career

Clubs

Klein began his coaching career in 1964. In 1969, he was appointed as head coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv, with which he won 10 Israeli Super League championships, 9 Israeli State Cups, and the FIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague) championship of the 1976–77 season. He also coached the German League club Saturn Köln, and he won another Israeli State Cup title with Hapoel Tel Aviv.

National teams

As head coach of the senior Israeli national team, Klein won a silver medal at the 1979 edition of the FIBA EuroBasket, and also finished in sixth place at the 1981 EuroBasket and the 1983 EuroBasket. In 1983, he unexpectedly announced his appointment as the head coach of the senior West German national team.[1]

Klein led the West German national team to an eighth-place finish at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games, and to a fifth place finish at the 1985 EuroBasket, which was held on West German home soil.

Personal life

In 2007, Klein was diagnosed as suffering from colorectal cancer, and he was believed to be on his deathbed.[2] However, his health improved and he even went back to coaching.[3]

He died of cancer on August 7, 2008, at Sheba Medical Center, in Tel HaShomer.[4]

Awards

In 2006, Klein was awarded the Israel Prize for sport,[5][6] along with former football goalkeeper Ya'akov Hodorov.[1]

Commemoration
  • In 2010, the filming of "Playoff" began, a movie based on Klein's life story, and directed by Israeli movie director, Eran Riklis.[7]
  • Israeli basketball team, Elitzur Elkana, whom Klein coached towards the end of his life, is named after the veteran Israeli coach (Elizur "Ralph Klein" Elkanah). The basketball team also wrote a Sefer Torah, in the name and honor of Klein.
  • The veterans group of Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team commemorates the achievements and memory of Ralph Klein, and since his death, it is named "Maccabi Ralph Klein Tel Aviv".

See also

References
  1. Alon, Moshe (May 2, 2006). "Legendary sportsmen Chodorov, Klein win Israel Prize". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved March 18, 2008.
  2. טל, רונן. אני גוסס ולמכבי לא אכפת. גלובס (in Hebrew). Retrieved March 18, 2008.
  3. aviww11 (Contributor) (February 19, 2008). ראיון עם רלף קליין. Event occurs at 27 seconds. Retrieved March 18, 2008.
  4. Cohanim, Ehud (August 7, 2008). "Basketball coach Ralph Klein dies at 77". Ynetnews. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
  5. "Israel Prize Official Site (in Hebrew) – Recipient's C.V."
  6. "Israel Prize Official Site (in Hebrew) – Judges' Rationale for Grant to Recipient".
  7. Yoav Borowitz, Sports / Shooting off the mark, Haaretz, 17 November 2011
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