Lior Eliyahu
| Position | Forward |
|---|---|
| Height | ft in ( m) |
| Weight | lb ( kg) |
| Team | Maccabi Tel-Aviv |
| Nationality | Israel |
| Born | September 9 1985 Ramat Gan, Israel |
| Draft | 2nd round, 44th overall, 2006 Orlando Magic |
| Pro career | 2003–present |
| Former teams | Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan (Youth) 2002–03 Hapoel Galil-Elyon 2003–06 |
| Awards |
|
Lior Eliyahu (Hebrew: לִיאוֹר אֱלִיָּהוּ ;born 9th September 1985, in Ramat Gan, Israel) is an Israeli basketball player who currently plays for Maccabi Tel-Aviv.
Eliyahu grew up in the youth system of Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan, but moved to the Galil for the 2004-05 season, in order to further his career. The move paid off when, under the guidance of Oded Katash, Eliyahu made great strides in improving his game. After the 2005-06 season, Eliyahu entered the 2006 NBA Draft, a move criticized by Hanoch Mintz, Eliyahu's coach during his time in Ramat Gan.
In pre-draft camps in Europe, Eliyahu impressed along with fellow Israeli Yotam Halperin and when the camp was finished in Treviso, Italy, both had dramatically climbed the mock draft charts. On June 28, 2006 he made national headlines in Israel by being selected by the Orlando Magic with the 44th pick of the 2006 NBA Draft.
He was later traded to the Houston Rockets for cash considerations.
Currently, Eliyahu has one year remaining of mandatory IDF service before he can join a club abroad. Subsequently he signed a contract with European basketball powerhouse, Maccabi Tel-Aviv.
He also impressed during recent matches of Maccabi against NBA teams. This year in the Euroleague Eliyahu is showing off his talent. He is a regular in the starting lineup, and averages almost 12 PPG.
In the summer of 2007, The Rockets believed to have had training sessions with Eliyahu. Rockets manager Daryl Morey said that Eliyahu's performance in workouts and summer league could determine if he earns a spot on next season's (07/08) roster.
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| 2006 NBA Draft |
|---|
| First Round Andrea Bargnani • LaMarcus Aldridge • Adam Morrison • Tyrus Thomas • Shelden Williams • Brandon Roy • Randy Foye • Rudy Gay • Patrick O'Bryant • Mouhamed Sene • J. J. Redick • Hilton Armstrong • Thabo Sefolosha • Ronnie Brewer • Cedric Simmons • Rodney Carney • Shawne Williams • Oleksiy Pecherov • Quincy Douby • Renaldo Balkman • Rajon Rondo • Marcus Williams • Josh Boone • Kyle Lowry • Shannon Brown • Jordan Farmar • Sergio Rodríguez • Maurice Ager • Mardy Collins • Joel Freeland |
| Second Round James White • Steve Novak • Solomon Jones • Paul Davis • P.J. Tucker • Craig Smith • Bobby Jones • Kosta Perovic • David Noel • Denham Brown • James Augustine • Daniel Gibson • Marcus Vinicius • Lior Eliyahu • Alexander Johnson • Dee Brown • Paul Millsap • Vladimir Veremeenko • Leon Powe • Ryan Hollins • Cheikh Samb • Guillermo Diaz • Yotam Halperin • Hassan Adams • Ejike Ugboaja • Edin Bavcic • Loukas Mavrokefalidis • J. R. Pinnock • Damir Markota • Will Blalock |
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