Change of Plans: Nets First Round Pick Ben Saraf Won't Be Participating in EuroBasket

The last time that Saraf suited up for Israel was during the 2025 EuroBasket qualifiers, where he averaged 8.3 points, 3 assists and 1.5 steals in 17.2 minutes per game.

At just 19 years old, he's still likely adjusting to the physicality and complexity of adult-level international basketball, but he’s already shown flashes of his potential with Israel’s U18 and U16 teams in recent years. In the 2024 FIBA U18 EuroBasket Championship, he was named the tournament MVP after averaging 28.1 points, 5.3 assists while leading the tournament with four steals per game. He also impressed during the 2022 FIBA U16 championship, when he led the tournament in scoring with 24.3 points per game.

Before playing professionally in Germany, Saraf's professional basketball career started in Israel. During his first season as a pro, he was named the Israeli Basketball National League's Sixth Player of the Season and Rookie of the Year after averaging 14 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3 assists per game. The following season, he moved up to the Israeli Basketball Premier League, where he was named the league's Rising Star after averaging 10.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.0 steal per game

After spending two seasons playing professionally in Israel, he made the jump to the Basketball Bundesliga, the highest-level league in Germany. During his time with Ratiopharm Ulm, he helped his team reach the finals while averaging 2.8 points and 4.6 assists per game.

Shortly after selecting Saraf with the No.26 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, he signed a four-year, $14,806,816 contract with the Nets, and will earn a base salary of $2,884,560 this year.

Saraf's new Nets teammate Danny Wolf has also represented Israel in international competition, helping lead his team to a silver medal 2023 FIBA U20 European Championship in Greece. However, Wolf was not listed on Israel's roster for this upcoming EuroBasket preliminary round.