Greeted at the airport by fans singing and banging drums, New Jersey Nets guard Jordan Farmar said Aug. 25 he is excited about playing during the NBA lockout with Israeli champion Maccabi Tel Aviv, a club he followed as a youngster.
Aside from Israel’s own Omri Casspi, who plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Farmar is the only Jewish player in the NBA. Casspi talked about rejoining his team in Israel, but rejected the idea last week.
Farmar won two NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers before joining the Nets in 2010. The 6-foot-2 guard will play for Tel Aviv as long as the lockout continues.
“I’m committed to this team, to the coaching staff and the organization for the time I am here, and I want to do my part to help the team grow,” Farmar said at a news conference at Maccabi’s Nokia Arena. “Leaving at the end is not something I’m looking forward to … but there is a business aspect to it. Part of my contract says when the NBA restarts I have to go back.” — ap