• Israel's first modern day sports hero.
• Gold Medal USA Team Maccabiah Games 1965.
• 1st Team All-Big 10, All-America 1964-1965.
• Played in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv and Israel National Team 1966-1967 & 1970-1977.
• Named Israel's "Sportsman Of The Year"1966.
• Gold Medal Israel Team Maccabiah Games 1969.
• Led Maccabi Tel Aviv to European Cup Championship 1977.
• ed Maccabi Tel Aviv to 10 Israeli Championships & 6 Israeli State Cups.
• Awarded the Israel Prize (Israel's highest civilian prize) in 1979.
• Member International Jewish Sports Hall Of Fame.

Tal Brody, a 6-foot 2-inch guard from Trenton, New Jersey, was an All America at the University of Illinois, a high draft choice of the Baltimore Bullets of the NBA, and the greatest basketball player in Israeli basketball history.

Tal was almost single-handedly responsible for changing the face of Israeli basketball, not just as a player, but also as a teacher of American-style basketball techniques to a young generation of Israeli players. Through his playing and teaching, Israel became a power on the European basketball stage.

Tal could have played, and undoubtedly starred, in the NBA. His tools were unquestionable.

His moves were refined to a science. He never wasted any energy. He could play the point, and he could also score. Not lightning fast, he was nevertheless extremely quick. He was a gifted floor leader, knowing when to pass, when to penetrate for a lay-up, or when to bomb from the outside. He had all the skills and shots required to execute any of those plays.

In his senior season, Tal was named First Team All Big 10 and selected as an All America. He was drafted by the Baltimore Bullets in the first round, thirteenth overall. He did not sign with Baltimore due to a contract dispute.

Tal played that summer on the Gold Medal winning USA basketball team in the Maccabiah Games held in Israel. The year was 1965, and he began his lifelong love affair with Israel.

After the Maccabiah Games, Israeli officials tried to persuade him to stay and help the country develop a basketball program. Brody declined and returned to the U.S. to pursue a master's degree at Illinois.

Approached again in 1966, Tal agreed to spend the 1966-1967 season with Maccabi Tel Aviv. He led the club to a surprising second-place finish in the European Cup Championships. Named Sportsman Of The Year, he remained
in Israel for the 1967-1968 season.

Drafted in the U.S. Army the next season, Tal returned to lead the Israeli team to its first Gold Medal in the Maccabiah Games held in Israel in 1969. Thereafter, Tal made Aliyah and stayed in Israel permanently.

Over the next 10 years, he played for Maccabi Tel Aviv, helping them to become the top team in Israel, and one of the best in Europe.

Besides his talent, Tal brought modern techniques to Israeli basketball and helped build the foundation for Israel's success in international competition.

He 1977 he led the team to its greatest achievement to that point. They won the European Cup Championship, defeating the mighty Russian team in the semifinals.

Tal led Maccabi Tel Aviv to 10 Israeli Championships and 6 Israeli State Cup Championships.

In 1979, he was awarded the Israel Prize, the country's highest civilian honor. In 1998, the Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv ranked him the Israeli sports figure who most influenced sport in Israel.

Tal Brody is a member of the International Jewish Sports Hall Of Fame.