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jerusalem | The golden girl of Israeli basketball is coming home.

Shay Doron, the only Israeli ever to play in the Women’s National Basketball Association, on Aug. 21 signed a contract with Israeli powerhouse Elitzur Ramle, and will begin playing for the defending champion in October. She was a rookie in the WNBA this season.

Israel has become a top draw for WNBA players in recent years. Last season, 17 WNBA players spent their winter in Israel. WNBA salaries for the three-month summer season range from about $31,000 to $90,000, so even top players travel the world each winter in search of extra cash. In Israel, top American players can make as much as $120,000 a season.

“Israel is my home,” Doron said in an interview with Israel’s Army Radio. “I want to give back to the fans and family that were behind me through all the years I wasn’t here. I hope it will help woman’s basketball in Israel.”

Doron, 22, left Israel for the United States seven years ago in pursuit of basketball glory.

She enrolled at Christ the King High School in New York City, a legendary basketball breeding ground, before being recruited to the University of Maryland, where she was a two-time All-American.

She graduated as the second-leading scorer in school history. In her junior year, the 5-foot-9-inch guard led Maryland to a National Collegiate Athletic Association championship.

In April, the New York Liberty selected her in the first round of the WNBA draft, and she became the only Israeli ever to play in the world’s top women’s basketball league. Three Israeli men have been selected in the NBA draft, but none went on to play in the league.

In New York, Doron has mostly languished on the bench, appearing in just seven games, averaging five minutes of playing time and scoring just 1.4 points per game.

Elitzur Ramle Chairman Shmulik Levkovitz said Doron was a huge addition to his team, both in its quest to succeed in European competition and its effort to reach out to the community and fans. Attendance for the women’s league in Israel lags far behind that of the men’s.

“She is the No. 1 Israeli player,” Levkovitz said.