Israeli Point Guard Signs with Cleveland Cavaliers
CINCINNATI – Noam Yaacov (21) has signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Israeli point guard signed a “Camp Deal” and received the opportunity to play in the NBA for the 2026-27 season. Yaacov spent last season playing for Ostende in Belgium, where he averaged 7.4 points, 5.8 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game. Yaacov will head to the G League, from which he can try to earn a spot on the team.
Born in Denmark to an Israeli father and Danish mother, Yaacov moved to Israel by himself at 13 to pursue basketball. Yaacov’s father was his coach growing up. When he first moved to Israel, he lived with his grandparents who resided at HaOgen, a kibbutz in central Israel. He played for Israel in the under 18 European Championships in 2022 and 2023, and he played for Hapoel Jerusalem in the 2022-2023 season.
Yaacov went through the 2026 NBA Draft process. He was eligible for the draft because of his age, and participated in the NBA Draft Combine. Yaacov went undrafted before he signed a contract in the college ranks with the University of Utah. Declining that opportunity, Yaacov went on to the Cavaliers.
The signing comes as a number of Israeli talents have made their way to Ohio. Hila Karsh was recruited to Xavier, Alma Rashenbach is on the roster at NKU, and Tamar Singer is a sophomore at Miami.
The Israelite reached out to Cleveland Cavaliers, but received no response.
