Star of the 1977 European Basketball champion Maccabi Tel-Aviv team, Tal Brody arrived in Israel for the Maccabi Games in 1965 after being selected with the number 12 pick in the NBA draft. Brody was persuaded to stay in Israel and help grow the sport of basketball in the country. In 1977, at the height of the Cold War, Brody led Maccabi Tel Aviv to its first European championship, defeating CSKA Moscow in the semifinal round.