By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Only a month after playing with Israel at Eurobasket as the captain of the national team, Gal Mekel announced his retirement from basketball at the age of 34. Last season he had various injuries and physical problems, and this Wednesday he confirmed that he is leaving the professional sport.
“There is a lot of joy, excitement, pride, satisfaction, and gratitude on this day, but also a touch of sadness because I decided to say goodbye to the love of my life – basketball. Ever since my father put the ball in my hand, at the age of three, It was part of my life. I dreamed, and I was disappointed, but I learned and developed. There were moments of happiness, recognition, and glory, but also moments of sadness and frustration”, Mekel said in an emotional speech.
He started playing professionally 14 years ago at Maccabi Tel Aviv. Pretty soon he became a globetrotter. Outside his home country, where he also wore the jerseys of Hapoel Gilboa Galil and Maccabi Haifa, Mekel played in Italy with Benetton Treviso and Reggiana, in Russia with Nizhny Novgorod and Zenit, and in Spain as a member of Gran Canaria, Unicaja and his last professional club Andora. He also spent a couple of months in Serbia playing for Crvena Zvezda but also achieved the dream of playing in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks and the New Orleans Pelicans.
Mekel’s farewell press conference was attended by the members of his family. They were dressed in the jerseys of the teams he played in.
משפחתו של גל מקל לבושה בגופיות הקבוצות שבהן שיחק, במסע”ת לרגל הפרישה. דרך יפה לומר שלום למשחק. אחלה @GalMekel pic.twitter.com/Z2FF9a61tm
— Lian Wildau (@lianwildau) October 26, 2022
“Basketball took me around the world. I love and appreciate every moment of my career. Every title, every victory, every assist, every loss, every practice, and even every injury. I accomplished everything that I dreamed of. I will continue to enjoy basketball from the comfort of my home and maybe even work with players who want to go on the same amazing path. Right now I feel that I can’t give this game what it deserves and that’s all I have. This is the right moment to stop and say thank you”, Mekel added.
During 14 years of his career, he was an Israeli champion twice (2010, 2013), and won two Israeli Cups (2016, 2017). He was also the two-time MVP of the Israeli League (2011, 2013).