Former captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit has been named a sports columnist for the Israeli daily Yediot Achronot, which publishes online and in English at Ynetnews.com.

Shalit is a huge fan of basketball and other sports. His first column is scheduled to appear on Friday, June 15. Shalit also reportedly is traveling to the United States to cover the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Miami Heat, which began this week.

Shalit was released last October by Hamas after more than five years of captivity. In February, he traveled to the NBA All-Star Game in Orlando, Fla. — jta