Omri Casspi, the first Israeli to play in the NBA, is unquestionably the Jewish basketball king of Northern California.
However, with Sacramento Kings’ owners reportedly set to move the team to Anaheim after this season, it appears Casspi will no longer be right in our own backyard — which puts a little extra spotlight on the Golden State Warriors’ upcoming Jewish Heritage Night.
The sixth annual game is set for 6 p.m. April 10, when the Warriors take on the Kings at Oracle Arena in Oakland.
“Casspi means quite a bit to the Jewish community up here, so the prospect of losing him [to Anaheim] is sad,” said John Boisa, director of the Sacramento region’s Jewish Community Relations Council. “If the team does move, we’ll lose a favorite son.”
Casspi, a 6-foot-9 forward, is averaging 9.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in his second NBA season, but his streaky outside shooting and spotty defense hasn’t won the favor of Kings coach Paul Westphal. In fact, from March 23 to 27, Casspi was benched in three straight games despite being healthy — this on one of the worst teams in the NBA. He did return to action earlier this week.
Three days after the game in Oakland, the Kings will play perhaps their last game ever in Sacramento, which they have called home since 1985. If they do move south, they’ll still be in the same division as the Warriors and still play the same number of games per season against them.
But the move will sting Jewish hoops fans in Northern California — especially those in Sacramento.
One person who’ll be saddened is Michal Kohane, a Haifa native who lived in the Sacramento area for more than 20 years. Now the director of the Israel Center in San Francisco, she was the executive director of the Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region from 2004 to 2010.
“People always say there are two cool things in Sacramento: the Capitol and the Kings,” Kohane said. “I assume we’re not going to move the Capitol anytime soon, so the Kings’ move would be a big loss for the community in general, and the Jewish community specifically.”
Casspi, 22, has been an active part of that community, attending functions such as federation events and menorah lightings.
“He’s just a nice guy, very personable,” Kohane said. “Whenever we asked him to have a Q&A or a meet-and-greet, he was always amicable.”
Casspi was the focal point of last year’s Jewish heritage game in Oakland, when the Warriors played the Kings and routed them, 130-98. Although Casspi started, he had only an average game, with 11 points and seven rebounds.
Further clouding Casspi’s future is the possibility of an NBA lockout next season. Recently he told the Jerusalem Post that if the NBA and its players union don’t have a new collective bargaining agreement by June 30, he might temporarily rejoin his former pro team in Israel, Maccabi Tel Aviv. (Playing abroad is allowed in the event of a lockout.)
The Warriors, who have a 3-2 record in previous Jewish heritage games, are selling tickets to this year’s game at up to 25 percent off, and each one includes a Jewish-themed Warriors souvenir T-shirt. As an added bonus this year, ticket-buyers will get to attend a post-game Q&A session with Casspi.
There will be a free tailgate party in the parking lot from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. featuring a traveling matzah-baking workshop in addition to free food and beverages. Rabbi Yosef “Rally Rabbi” Langer will be there with his Chabad of S.F. cable car, and music will be provided by the Ferris Wheels and others.
Warriors’ Jewish Heritage Night will take place 6 p.m. April 10 at Oracle Arena in Oakland. $22-$60. Free pregame tailgate party. Information: www.warriors.com/jewishheritage or (510) 986-5704.