Ralph Klein (basketball)

Ralph Klein
Ralph Klein, 2006
Personal information
Born (1931-07-29) July 29, 1931
Berlin, Germany
Nationality Hungarian / Israeli
Career information
Playing career 1952–1964
Position Shooting guard
Coaching career 1969–1997
Career highlights and awards

As player:

As head coach:

Medals
Representing  Israel
Men’s Basketball
FIBA EuroBasket
1979 Italy National Team

Ralph Klein (Hebrew: רלף קליין‬ ;born July 29, 1931) was an Israeli professional basketball player and coach.

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, up until 1964, scored 2,701 points, and won eight Israeli state championships and six Israeli state cups.[1]

Israeli national team

Klein was also a member of the senior Israeli national teams that took part in the 1952 Olympic men's basketball tournament, the 1954 FIBA World Cup, and the 1953, 1959, 1961, and 1963 EuroBaskets. He played in 68 games for the 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 League championships, 9 Israeli Cups, and the FIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague) in 1977. In 1983, he became the head coach of the German club BSC Saturn Koln, a position he held until 1986.

National teams

As head coach of the senior Israeli national team, Klein won the silver medal at the EuroBasket in 1979, and finished in sixth place in 1981, and 1983. 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 in the 1984 Olympic basketball tournament, in Los Angeles, and a fifth place finish at the EuroBasket 1985, which was held on West German home soil.

Personal

In 2007, Klein was diagnosed as suffering from Colorectal cancer, and 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, he 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. 1 2 3 4 5 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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