NBA All-Star Draymond Green Visits the Holy Land

Pro basketball superstar Draymond Green visited Israel for a four-day tour of the Jewish state, his first visit to the Holy Land.

By: United with Israel Staff

NBA all-star and member of Golden State’s world championship team Draymond Green enjoyed a rare four-day tour of Israel last week, his first visit to the Holy Land.

During the trip, led by Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) Midwest Region executive director, Tamir Oppenheim, Green visited the base of an IDF counter-terrorism unit, the Yamam.

One of four special units of the Israel Border Police, this elite unit conducts hostage-rescue operations and raids against terror targets in civilian areas. The Yamam also performs SWAT operations and undercover police work.

Green met with the Commander of Israel Border Police Maj. Gen. Yaakov (Kobi) Shabtai, and the unit’s commander, Commander N, and learned about how Yamam fighters defend Israeli civilians. Green also learned about the different firearms the force uses and played basketball at the Yamam Sport Center, which FIDF supporters in Michigan donated.

At the end of his visit, Green presented Commander N with a Golden State Warriors jersey with Green’s number 23.

During his tour, Green also met with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.

“It is a great pleasure to watch him play, and an even greater pleasure to meet,” Rivlin said on Facebook.

“We were thrilled to host Draymond in Israel to experience FIDF’s mission in action,” said Oppenheim. “He is such a role model for millions of people in the United States, and so we recognize how valuable his support is to FIDF and the State of Israel. We thank Draymond for joining us, and we invite his fellow basketball players to visit Israel and see the incredible impact that FIDF has across the nation.”