NBA player Omri Casspi
How will you spend your Thanksgiving break?
Omri Casspi might be the only player in the NBA to have his name chanted by fans on both sides of the court.
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Last week alone, someone from his adopted hometown of Sacramento named a Jewish baby after him, he attended a reception sponsored by the Consul General of Israel in New York and played in front of dozens of fans holding up Israeli flags at the Garden. Such is the life of the player who became a modern-day Sandy Koufax. He is the first Israeli to play in the NBA and was drafted in the first round by the Sacramento Kings in 2009.
"He's got more fans then Lebron and Kobe," said fellow Kings player and Rookie of the Year favorite Tyreke Evans. "Everywhere we go, I see an [Israeli] flag and signs saying 'We love Omri.' It's crazy."
But the enthusiasm hasn't surprised Kings coach Paul Westphal.
"The Jewish community loves basketball," Westphal said. "He's the first Israeli, and doing better than anyone projected at this time."
When the Kings drafted Casspi, they never imagined that, at the All-Star break, Casspi would be in their starting lineup and fifth among all rookies in scoring, averaging 12 points per game.
But success always comes with a price.
Being seen as an idol to so many across the world can get in the way of playing basketball. In his last 17 games, Casspi's scoring has dropped by three points and his shooting percentage has fallen from 50 percent to 42 percent.
When asked whether the constant off-court demands might be hurting Casspi's on-court play, Westphal said there is nothing to complain about.
"It's just up to him to make sure that he's focused on the game as well as on his obligations and privileges off the court," Westphal said. He added that it was important for the budding young star to rest. With such a popular player, time is truly of the essence.
Casspi, shook his head at the idea that constant off-court duties may be wearing him down.
"Any time I have the opportunity for some free time, I love to do work in the Jewish community."
And therein lies the magic of Casspi. Whether conducting pre- and post-game chats with fans, conducting interviews with the Israeli media or posing for a pre-game picture with Iranian NBA player Hamed Haddadi, Casspi has shown that he understands his role, and embraces it.
"It's part of who I am and where I'm coming from," said Casspi in an interview with NBA.com. "I took it into consideration in the beginning and I knew it was going to be. I'm just happy it happened the way I thought it would be."
