Dave Kufeld
Personal information
Born (1958-09-27) September 27, 1958
New York City, New York, U.S.
NationalityAmerican / Israeli
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Career information
High schoolManhattan Talmudical Academy
(New York, New York)
CollegeYeshiva (1976–1980)
NBA draft1980: 10th round, 205th overall pick
Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers
Playing career1980–1982
PositionCenter
Number24
Career history
1980–1981Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan
Career highlights and awards
  • All-American (1980)
  • 2× Division III rebounding leader (1979, 1980)
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

David Kufeld (born September 27, 1958) is an American-Israeli former professional basketball player. He became the first Orthodox Jew selected in the NBA draft when the Portland Trail Blazers drafted him in the 10th round of the 1980 draft.[1][2]

Early life

Kufeld was born in New York City[3] and grew up in Great Neck, New York, on Long Island.[4] He attended the Manhattan Talmudical Academy and played on the school's varsity basketball team for all four years of high school.[1]

College basketball career

After high school, Kufeld attended Yeshiva University and played center for the Yeshiva Maccabees basketball team. The school had limited resources and Yeshiva did not have access to a gym during his time there.[1] Kufeld led all NCAA Division III players in the country in rebounding for his junior and senior year (1978–79 and 1979–1980).[5] For the 1978–1979 season he was the captain of the team. In his senior year, he was named an All-American, and the Jewish Sports Review named him the National Jewish Player of the Year for Division II and Division III in 1979 and 1980. As of 2019, Kufeld is fifth all-time in Division III for rebounds per game.[6]

Kufeld majored in public relations and advertising at Yeshiva. Ahead of the 1980 NBA draft, he sent self-promotional packets to ten NBA teams.[1]

College statistics[7]
YearGPPGRPGAPGFG%FT%
1976–772116.611.51.651.168.3
1977–782010.313.71.546.258.5
1978–792017.717.81.457.166.7
1979–802017.117.71.557.867.0
Career8115.415.11.553.465.8

Professional basketball career

The Portland Trail Blazers selected Kufeld with the 211th pick in the 10th round of the 1980 NBA draft.[8] The team's owner and president, Larry Weinberg, was also Jewish. Kufeld attended rookie camp with the rest of his draft class, but at 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) he was considered too small to play as a center in the NBA.[1] After four days of rookie camp, Kufeld was cut.[4][9][10]

If Kufeld had been signed to an NBA roster, as a shomer Shabbat Jew, he would not have been able to travel, practice, or play in games during the Jewish Sabbath (Friday night through Saturday night).[4]

Kufeld signed with Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan of the Israeli Premier Basketball League. Because Kufeld had not officially made aliyah to Israel, the team named him its designated foreign player, a spot that usually went to foreign non-Jews who were not eligible for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return.[1]

After basketball

In the 1990s, Kufeld founded and served as president of the Jewish Sports Congress.[11] He was a public relations executive at the Weitz & Luxenberg law firm in Manhattan for 23 years.[4]

Kufeld and his wife, Suri, had two children, who live in Israel. In 2019, Kufeld and his wife made aliyah and moved to Israel.[4]

In 2019, Kufeld was inducted into the Yeshiva University's Athletic Hall of Fame.[6]

See also

  • Tamir Goodman, former American-Israeli Orthodox Jewish basketball player dubbed the "Jewish Jordan" in the early 2000s
  • Ryan Turell, former Yeshiva University basketball star who was the first Orthodox Jew to be selected in the NBA G League draft

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Goldberg, Avigail (November 8, 2022). "This Orthodox Jew Was Drafted To The NBA In 1980". Jew in the City. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Sports Probe". Kannapolis Daily Independent. July 6, 1980. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Profiles of New Olim". The 5 Towns Jewish Times. July 25, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Lipman, Steve (June 16, 2022). "NBA Draft — a Yeshiva player?". Intermountain Jewish News. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Busy, Busy, Busy". Daily Review. July 18, 1979. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Dave Kufeld". YUMacs.com. Yeshiva University. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Dave Kufeld". The Draft Review. Matthew Maurer. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  8. ↑ Bradley, Robert D. (2013). The basketball draft fact book: a history of professional basketball's college drafts. Lanham: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810890695. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  9. ↑ Charry, Rob (March 27, 2022). "Scouts say Ryan Turell could be the NBA's first Orthodox Jew — but it's a long shot". The Times of Israel. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Sports Briefs". Kalispell Daily Inter Lake. June 25, 1980. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  11. ↑ Lipman, Steve (February 17, 1999). "Going thru hoops". Jewish World Review. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
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