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Noam Yaacov

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Noam Yaacov
נועם יעקב
Yaacov in 2021
Free Agent
PositionPoint guard
Personal information
Born (2004-10-20) October 20, 2004 (age 21)
Virum, Denmark
Listed height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Career information
NBA draft2026: undrafted
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–2021Hapoel Emek Hefer
2021–2025ASVEL
2023→Hapoel Jerusalem
2024–2025→Hapoel Tel Aviv
2025–2026Oostende
Career highlights

Noam Yaacov (Hebrew: נועם יעקב; born October 20, 2004) is an Israeli-Danish professional basketball point guard, who last played for Belgian team Filou Oostende of the BNXT League. He also plays for the Israeli senior national team.

He signed to play college basketball at the University of Utah in 2026–27 for the Utah Utes.

Early life

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Yaacov was born in Virum, Denmark, 15 kilometers outside of Copenhagen, to a Danish mother (Sidsel) and an Israeli-Jewish father (Yonatan). He was initially raised there, and began playing basketball at the age of four; his father was his basketball coach as he grew up.[1][2][3]

In July 2018, at the age of 13, he immigrated to Israel without his parents, and lived with his Israeli grandparents.[4] In Israel he resides in HaOgen, a kibbutz in which his grandparents also live.[5] In 2021 he played for Hapoel Emek Hefer’s youth team, and was named the outstanding player of the Youth Premier League.[6]

College career

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On April 20, 2026, it was announced that Yaacov had committed to play for the Utah Utes basketball team of the University of Utah, while maintaining his eligibility in the NBA draft, and participating in the NBA draft combine.[7][8][9] On June 27, 2026, he signed with Utah for the 2026–27 season.[10]

Professional career

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2021–24

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On July 5, 2021, Yaacov signed a contract with French team ASVEL Basket of the LNB Pro A and the EuroLeague.[11] On September 13, 2022, at 16 years of age he made his debut for the team, recording 11 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds.[12] In 2021–22, Yaacov averaged 7.2 points, 4.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 17.1 minutes per game, while shooting 47% from the floor, over 38 games.[13]

In 2022–23 with ASVEL Basket he averaged 17.8 points, 8.2 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 31.0 minutes per game over 13 games, all of them as a starter.[13] He was named Eurobasket.com All-French ProA U21 Guard of the Year.[14]

On January 4, 2023, Yaacov was loaned to Hapoel Jerusalem until the end of 2022–23 season, and he played for them in 22 games.[15][16] He and the team won the 2022–23 Israeli Basketball State Cup.[17]

In 2023–24, he played for ASVEL Basket, and averaged 3.0 points, 2.0 assists, and 1.0 rebounds in 12.0 minutes per game over 62 games, 4 of them as a starter.[13]

On June 28, 2024, Yaacov was loaned to Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League for the 2024-25 season.[18] In 2024–25, he averaged 3.8 points, 3.2 assists, and 1.6 rebounds in 14.7 minutes per game over 33 games, 13 of them as a starter.[13] He and the team won the 2025 Eurocup.[17]

2025–present

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In 2025–26, playing for the Belgian team Ostende, Yaacov was named one of the three BNXT League MVP Finalists, after he averaged 17.4 points, 5.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, all leading the team, while adding 3.9 rebounds per game and shooting 46% from the floor, 38% from three-point range, and 76% from the free throw line, and starting 30 of the team's 40 games in which he played.[19][20][21]

Yaacov was then invited to the 2026 NBA G League draft combine, where he impressed scouts in an NBA G League Elite Camp scrimmage.[10] He was then called to the 2026 NBA draft combine.[22]

Basketball commentator and former college basketball coach Fran Fraschilla wrote of Yaacov in May 2026: "He’s a scorer & playmaker who has great PNR vision & shooting form reminds me of Jimmer Fredette."[23] NBA.com wrote:

Yaacov runs pick-and-roll with patience, changing speeds before slinging the ball to the open man while keeping his assist-to-turnover ratio positive. The point guard gets downhill with a low handle and a start-stop game that keeps bigger defenders guessing and draws fouls at a rate that points to craftiness inside the arc. He knocks down threes at a respectable clip ... and competes on the ball, also jumping in passing lanes when defending off the ball. Yaacov projects as a pick-and-roll guard who can run an NBA offense, push the pace in transition, and keep his teammates involved... NBA comparisons to Yaacov can be made to players like Goran Dragic and T. J. McConnell.[17]

National team career

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Junior Team Israel

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Yaacov played for Team Israel under-18 in the 2022 FIBA U18 European Championship.[17] In seven games he averaged 19.3 points (2nd-highest in the tournament), 6.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists (leading the tournament), and 1.7 steals per game.[24][25][17] He was selected to the All-Star 5 of the tournament.[4][17]

Yaacov played for Team Israel under-20 in the 16-team 2023 FIBA U20 European Championship. In seven games he averaged 16.1 points (8th-best in the tournament), 4.4 rebounds, 7.6 assists (leading the tournament), and 1.0 steals per game, shooting 46% from the field, as Israel won the silver medal.[26][27][17] He was again selected to the five-player All-tournament team, this time alongside teammate Danny Wolf.[27][17][26]

Yaacov served as captain of and again played for Team Israel under-20 in the 2024 FIBA U20 European Championship.[28] In five games he averaged 15.6 points (8th-best in the tournament), 4.5 rebounds, 7.3 assists (leading the tournament), and 1.6 steals per game.[27]

Senior Team Israel

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On 24 February 2023, Yaacov made his debut for the Israeli senior national team in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup European Qualifiers.[29] He played in two of Team Israel's 18 games, averaging 15.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 steals, while shooting 50% from the floor, 60% from three-point range, and 85% from the free throw line.[30]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  PIR  Performance index rating
 Bold  Career high

EuroLeague

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2023–24 ASVEL 26210.0.328.118.722.71.3.3—2.21.0
Career 26210.0.328.118.722.71.3.3—2.21.0

Basketball Champions League

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022–23 Hapoel Jerusalem 402.6.250.000——.2——0.5
Career 402.6.250.000——.2——0.5

Domestic leagues

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Year Team League GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022–23Israel Hapoel JerusalemLigat HaAl1814.7.397.286.7831.61.9.3—4.2
2023–24France ASVELLNB Élite3513.6.386.353.7431.22.6.5.03.6

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "Hooping from Denmark to Israel to Euros - interview," The Jerusalem Post, July 28, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Noam Yaacov - 2026 NBA Draft Guide - The Athletic," The New York Times, June 15, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Rising star Noam Yaakov leads Emek Hefer to double titles". The Jerusalem Post. 24 June 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Noam Yaacov". Archived from the original on 2023-02-26. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  5. ↑ עמורבן, אפרת (August 14, 2022). "ריאיון מיוחד | הכישרון הגדול של הכדורסל הישראלי: "המטרה שלי היא להגיע ל-NBA"". Ynet – via www.ynet.co.il.
  6. ↑ "Motivated Hapoel TA makes significant moves," The Jerusalem Post, July 3, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Utah reportedly lands commitment from top European guard Noam Yaacov". Yahoo Sports. April 20, 2026. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Breaking: Utah adds high-priority point guard Noam Yaacov to 2026-27 roster". 247Sports. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Utah knew the Noam Yaacov risk — now the waiting game begins". KSL Sports. KSL Broadcasting. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  10. 1 2 "Noam Yaacov officially signs with Utah," 247sports.com, June 27, 2026.
  11. ↑ "נציג חדש ביורוליג: נועם יעקוב חתם בווילרבאן" (in Hebrew). 6 July 2021.
  12. ↑ "ברוך הבא: נועם יעקב שותף במשחק ראשון במדי וילרבאן".
  13. 1 2 3 4 "Noam Yaacov Player Profile, Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem". basketball.realgm.com.
  14. ↑ " H.Tel-Aviv tabs Noam Yaacov ," June 27, 2024.
  15. ↑ "רשמי: נועם יעקב הושאל להפועל ירושלים" (in Hebrew). 4 January 2023.
  16. ↑ "Noam Yaacov lands at Hapoel Jerusalem for the rest of the season". Eurohoops. January 4, 2023.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "2026 NBA Draft Profile," nba.com.
  18. ↑ "Noam Yaakov signs with Hapoel Tel Aviv". Sportando. June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Utah commit Noam Yaacov a finalist for BNXT League award," ksl.com, May 8, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Noam Yaacov", Utah Utes.
  21. ↑ "2025-2026 Telenet BC Oostende Stats - Averages," realgm.com.
  22. ↑ Sweet, Randall (May 11, 2026). "6 Players Earn Call-Ups From G League Combine to 2026 NBA Draft Combine". Sports Illustrated. SI.com. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  23. ↑ "What’s left to address with Utah’s remaining scholarship spots? ," Deseret, May 25, 2026.
  24. ↑ "FIBA U18 European Championship," FIBA.
  25. ↑ "Noam Yaacov - Player Profile". FIBA.basketball.
  26. 1 2 "FIBA U20 European Championship," FIBA.
  27. 1 2 3 "Noam Yaacov Player Profile, ASVEL Basket - RealGM". basketball.realgm.com.
  28. ↑ "Rising Israeli hoops phenom Shachar Doron hungry to grow his game all the way to NBA," The Jerusalem Post, July 19, 2024.
  29. ↑ "שכרון מעמקים: ישראל נכנעה לפינלנד בהארכה - ספורט 5". Sport5.co.il - אתר ערוץ הספורט. February 24, 2023.
  30. ↑ "Noam Yaacov," FIBA.
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