View source for Miki Berkovich

{{short description|Israeli basketball player}}
{{BLP sources|date=August 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Miki Berkovich<br>'מיקי ברקוביץ
| image = Micky Berkowitz.jpg
| caption = Berkovich in 2013
| position = 
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 4
| weight_lb = 210
| league = 
| team = 
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1954|02|17}}
| birth_place = [[Kfar Saba]], Israel
| high_school = 
| college = [[UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball|UNLV]] (1975–1976)
| draft_year = 1976
| career_position = [[Shooting guard]]
| career_number = 9
| career_start = 1971
| career_end = 1995
| years1 = 1971–1975,<br />1976–1988
| team1 = [[Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]]
| years2 = 1988–1993
| team2 = [[Maccabi Rishon LeZion (basketball)|Maccabi Rishon LeZion]]
| years3 = 1993–1994
| team3 = [[Hapoel Jerusalem B.C.|Hapoel Jerusalem]]
| years4 = 1994–1995
| team4 = [[Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]]
| highlights = * [[FIBA Intercontinental Cup]] champion ([[1980 FIBA Intercontinental Cup|1980]])
* 2× [[EuroLeague]] champion (1977, 1981)
* 4× [[FIBA All-Star Games|FIBA European All-Star]] (1978, 1981, 1982, 1987)
* 16× [[Israeli Basketball Super League|Israeli League]] champion (1972–1975, 1977–1988)
* 13× [[Israeli Basketball Cup|Israeli Cup]] winner (1972, 1973, 1975, 1977–1983, 1985, 1986, 1987)
* [[EuroBasket MVP]] (1979)
* [[FIBA's 50 Greatest Players (1991)]]
* Israel's Top Sportsmen of the 50 Year [[Golden jubilee|Jubilee]] (1948–1998)
* [[50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors]] (2008)
* 101 Greats of European Basketball (2018)
| HOF_player = 
| FIBA_HOF_player = Mickey-Berkowitz
| medal_templates = {{MedalCountry | {{bk|ISR}} }}
{{MedalSport | Men's [[Basketball]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[FIBA EuroBasket]]}}
{{MedalSilver| [[EuroBasket 1979|1979 Italy]] | }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Basketball at the Asian Games|Asian Games]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[Basketball at the 1974 Asian Games|1974 Iran]] | }}
}}
[[File:Miki Berkovich (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|Berkovich in 1987]]

'''Moshe''' "'''Miki'''" '''Berkovich''' (or '''Mickey Berkowitz'''; {{langx|he|משה "מיקי" ברקוביץ'}}; born 17 February 1954) is an Israeli former professional [[basketball]] player. A 193&nbsp;cm [[shooting guard]], he is considered to be one of the greatest Israeli basketball players of all time.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Brian Blum |title=Israeli hoops star to be inducted into FIBA Hall of Fame |url=https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-hoops-star-to-be-inducted-into-fiba-hall-of-fame/ |access-date=21 March 2022 |work=israel21c.org |date=31 August 2017}}</ref>

Berkovich was named one of [[FIBA's 50 Greatest Players (1991)|FIBA's 50 Greatest Players]] in 1991. In 1998, he was named Israel's Top Sportsmen of the 50 Year [[Golden jubilee|Jubilee]] (1948–1998).<ref>{{cite news |author1=Jeremy Last |title=Israel's top sportsman: Miki Berkowitz |url=https://www.jpost.com/Sports/Israels-top-sportsman-Miki-Berkowitz |access-date=21 March 2022 |work=[[Jerusalem Post]] |date=6 May 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=FIBA Hall of Famers - Mickey Berkowitz - FIBA.basketball |url=https://www.fiba.basketball/hall-of-fame/Mickey-Berkowitz |website=fiba.basketball |publisher=[[FIBA]] |access-date=21 March 2022}}</ref> He was named one of the [[50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors]], by a select panel in February 2008, and was then honored at the [[2008 EuroLeague Final Four]] in Madrid. He became a [[FIBA Hall of Famer|FIBA Hall of Fame player]] in 2017.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dream Team, Shaq and Kukoc headline 2017 Class of FIBA Hall of Fame Inductees |url=https://www.fiba.basketball/news/dream-team-shaq-and-kukoc-headline-2017-class-of-fiba-hall-of-fame-inductees |access-date=21 March 2022 |work=fiba.basketball |publisher=[[FIBA]] |date=23 August 2017}}</ref> In 2018, he was named one of the 101 Greats of European Basketball. In 2024, he received the [[Israel Prize]] in  the category of outstanding athletic achievement.<ref>{{Cite web |author=ToI Staff |last2=Fiske |first2=Gavriel |title=Israel Prize ceremony goes ahead after selection process marred by controversies |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-prize-ceremony-goes-ahead-after-selection-process-marred-by-controversies/ |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=www.timesofisrael.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Early years ==
Born in [[Kfar Saba]], Berkovich began his long and distinguished career with [[Maccabi Tel Aviv BC|Maccabi Tel Aviv]], at the age of 11, when he joined the youth club. At the age of 15, he was playing for the junior squad. In 1971, at the age of 17, he made his debut with the senior men's team in [[Israeli Basketball Super League|Israel's top professional league]].

== College playing career ==
In 1975, Berkovich played [[college basketball]] at [[UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball|UNLV]] in the United States. During the 1975–76 season, he played in 11 games and averaged 2.5 points per game as the Runnin' Rebels finished 28–1 and were the number one seed in the Western Region of the [[1976 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament|NCAA tournament]]. They defeated [[Boise State Broncos men's basketball|Boise State]] 103–78 in the first round, although Berkovich registered no points and only one rebound. UNLV then lost to [[Arizona Wildcats men's basketball|Arizona]] 114–109 in the second round; Berkovich did not play in the game. He returned to [[Maccabi Tel Aviv BC|Maccabi]] after just one year.

== Club playing career ==
Berkovich returned to Israel following the 1975–76 season and played a considerable role in [[Maccabi Tel Aviv BC|Maccabi Tel Aviv]]'s fortunes during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

In 1977, Berkovich helped Maccabi Tel Aviv to win its first [[EuroLeague|FIBA European Champions Cup]] ([[EuroLeague]]) championship by defeating [[Pallacanestro Varese|Mobilgirgi Varese]] by a score of 78–77 in [[EuroLeague Finals|the final]], held in [[Pionir Hall]], [[Belgrade]], and [[PBC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]] 91–79 in the semifinals game held in [[Virton]], Belgium. This achievement led to [[Tal Brody]]'s famous statement of "We are on the map, not only in basketball".

In 1981, the second FIBA European Champions Cup title came for Maccabi, against another Italian team, [[Virtus Bologna|Sinudyne Bologna]]. Berkovich scored the winning basket from an [[assist (basketball)|assist]] by [[Moti Aroesti]], setting the score at 80–77. There were no [[Three-point field goal|three-point shots]] back then, so the Italians could only score a two-point basket in return. Maccabi won the game by a score of 80–79.

Berkovich's career in Maccabi came to an end in 1988 when he and Aroesti joined [[Maccabi Rishon LeZion (basketball)|Maccabi Rishon LeZion]]. Later, he played with [[Hapoel Jerusalem (basketball)|Hapoel Jerusalem]] and [[Hapoel Tel Aviv (basketball)|Hapoel Tel Aviv]].

During his playing years with Maccabi, he won 16 [[Israeli Basketball Super League|Israeli national league]] championship titles and 13 [[Israeli Basketball State Cup|Israeli national cups]].

=== NBA offers ===
After the [[EuroBasket 1979]], Berkovich had contract offers from the [[New Jersey Nets]] and the [[Atlanta Hawks]] from the [[NBA]], but a contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv stood in the way. Maccabi's management insisted that he stay in the team, so they had to settle the case in [[Civil law (common law)|civil court]].

== National team career ==
In 1972, Berkovich took the [[Israeli national under-18 basketball team|Israeli under-18 national team]] to a fourth-place finish at the [[1972 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship]] and he was the leading scorer of the tournament. He also won a gold medal at the [[Basketball at the 1974 Asian Games|1974 Asian Games]] in [[Tehran]].

In 1979, Berkovich was a part of the senior [[Israel men's national basketball team|Israeli national team]] that finished second at the [[EuroBasket 1979|1979 EuroBasket in Turin]]. Berkovich was named [[FIBA EuroBasket MVP|the tournament's MVP]].

Upon his retirement, he was second all-time in appearances (165) and points scored (2,842) among members of the senior men's Israeli national basketball team.

== Post-playing career ==
[[File:Flickr - Government Press Office (GPO) - Mickey Berkowitz Carrying the Torch.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Berkovich carrying the torch at the opening ceremony of the [[1997 Maccabiah Games]] at [[Ramat Gan Stadium]]]]
Berkovich retired from basketball in 1995, after which he wrote an autobiography called ''Born to Win''. He went on to become the owner of the [[A.S. Ramat HaSharon]] basketball team. Both of his sons, Roi and [[Niv Berkovich]], played for the team at the time. He later became the director of basketball operations of [[Ironi Nahariya]], but left the team after just one year.

==See also==
*[[Israeli Basketball Premier League Statistical Leaders#Points|Israeli Premier League Statistical Leaders]]
*[[List of Jews in sports#Basketball|List of select Jewish basketball players]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}
* [https://www.fiba.basketball/hall-of-fame/Mickey-Berkowitz Mickey Berkowitz] at the [[FIBA Hall of Fame]]
* {{FIBA|new_id=110433|name=Mickey Berkowitz|old_id=10892}}
* [http://www.fibaeurope.com/compID_,Uz02qBnJiADOq5VntEf53.season_1995.roundID_2566.playerID_10892.teamID_957.html FIBA Europe Profile]
* [https://www.euroleague.net/news/i/34334/history-principal-2 Euroleague.net 50 Greatest Contributors]
* [https://basket.co.il/all-time-players.asp?PlayerId=10007&lang=en Israeli Super League Profile]
* [https://unitedwithisrael.org/miki-berkovich-first-israeli-to-be-entered-into-fiba-hall-of-fame/ Legendary basketball player Miki Berkovich is the first Israeli to be honored at FIBA's Hall of Fame]
* [https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Berkovitch.html Jewish Virtual Library Profile]

{{navboxes|list=
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{{FIBA Hall of Fame}}
{{Euroleague50}}
{{Maccabi Tel Aviv BC 1976–77 Euroleague champions}}
{{Maccabi Tel Aviv BC 1980–81 Euroleague champions}}
{{EuroBasket MVP Award}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berkovich, Miki}}
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Asian Games gold medalists for Israel]]
[[Category:Basketball players at the 1974 Asian Games]]
[[Category:FIBA Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Hapoel Jerusalem B.C. players]]
[[Category:Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C. players]]
[[Category:Israeli Basketball Premier League players]]
[[Category:Israeli men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Israeli people of Romanian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Jewish basketball players]]
[[Category:Men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Maccabi Rishon LeZion basketball players]]
[[Category:Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. players]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1974 Asian Games]]
[[Category:Shooting guards]]
[[Category:UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball players]]
[[Category:1986 FIBA World Championship players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Kfar Saba]]
[[Category:Competitors at the 1977 Maccabiah Games]]
[[Category:Maccabiah Games basketball players for Israel]]
[[Category:Maccabiah Games silver medalists for Israel]]
[[Category:20th-century Israeli sportsmen]]
[[Category:Asian Games gold medalists in basketball]]