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Omri from Guillaume Rouillé's Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum

Omri (Hebrew: עמרי, Modern Omri Tiberian ʻOmrî; short for Hebrew: עָמְרִיָּה, Modern Omriyya Tiberian ʻOmriyyā ; "The Lord is my life") was a king of Israel, successful military campaigner and first in the line of Omride kings that included Ahab, Ahaziah and Joram.

Struggle for the succession[link]

Omri was "commander of the army" of king Elah when Zimri murdered Elah and made himself king. Instead, the troops at Gibbethon chose Omri as king, and he led them to Tirzah where they trapped Zimri in the royal palace. Zimri set fire to the palace and died after a reign of only seven days. (1 Kings 16:15-18) Although Zimri was eliminated, "half of the people" supported Tibni in opposition to Omri. (1 Kings 16:21-22) It took Omri four years to subdue Tibni and at last proclaim himself undisputed king of Israel. (1 Kings 16:15 and 16:23)

Reign[link]

Omri became king of Israel in the 31st year of Asa, king of Judah and reigned for 12 years, 6 years of which were in Tirzah. (1 Kings 16:23) The biblical reference to the period of rivalry with Tibni is from the 27th year of Asa (1 Kings 16:15) to the 31st year. (16:23) William F. Albright has dated his reign to 876 – 869 BC, while E. R. Thiele offers the dates of 888 BC to 880 BC for his rivalry with Tibni and 880 – 874 BC for his sole reign.^[1]

For the first six years of his reign Omri's capital was in Tirzah, after which he built a new capital of the kingdom in Samaria, on a hill he bought from Shemer. (1 Kings 16:23-24)

Some authors, especially Israel Finkelstein, maintain that the Book of Kings minimized Omri's accomplishments. They argue that while the biblical text acknowledges that Omri built his new capital Samaria, the text may have omitted possible widespread public construction both Omri and his son Ahab commissioned during their reigns. Finkelstein and his student Norma Franklin have identified monumental construction at Samaria, Jezreel, Megiddo and Hazor similar in design and build.^{[citation needed]} Other archaeologists in Israel, including Amnon Ben-Tor, Amihai Mazar, William Dever and Lawrence Stager, reject this theory, claiming that it is contradicted by scientific understandings of strata formulation and the general development of the region, and that the theory relies overmuch on pottery seriation, a technique for dating sites using ceramic remains, which is a relative dating technique rather than an unreliable technique such as carbon dating.^{[citation needed]}

Omri's rule over Israel was secure enough that he could bequeath his kingdom to Ahab, thus beginning a new dynasty (sometimes called the Omrides), and his descendants not only ruled over the kingdom of Israel for the next forty years, but also briefly over Judah. He was significant enough that his name is mentioned on a stele erected by Mesha, king of Moab, who records his victory over a son of Omri—but omits the son's name. Thomas L. Thompson (The Bible in History), however, interprets the Mesha stele as suggesting that Omri is an eponym, or legendary founder of the kingdom rather than an historical person. Most archaeologists reject this interpretation, seeing Omri as historical. Assyrian kings frequently referred to Omri's successors as belonging to the "House of Omri" (Bit Hu-um-ri-a).^[2]

The Omride Dynasty[link]

The short-lived dynasty founded by Omri constitutes a new chapter in the history of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. It ended almost fifty years of constant civil war over the throne. There was peace with the Kingdom of Judah to the south, and even cooperation between the two rival states, while relations with neighboring Sidon to the north were bolstered by marriages negotiated between the two royal courts. This state of peace with two powerful neighbors enabled the Kingdom of Israel to expand its influence and even political control in Transjordan, and these factors combined brought economic prosperity to the kingdom.

The Mesha Stele.

In a scene from the Black Obelisk Jehu, designated ^mIa-ú-a mar ^mHu-um-ri-i (Jehu son of Omri) bows before Shalmaneser III.

On the other hand, peace with Sidon also resulted in the penetration of Phoenician religious ideas into the kingdom and led to a kulturkampf between traditionalists (as personified by the prophet Elijah and his followers) and the aristocracy (as personified by Omri's son and heir Ahab and his consort Jezebel). In foreign affairs, this period paralleled the rise of the Kingdom of Aram based in Damascus, and Israel soon found itself at war in the northeast. Most threatening, however, was the ascendancy of Assyria, which was beginning to expand westward from Mesopotamia: the Battle of Qarqar (853 BC), which pitted Shalmaneser III of Assyria against a coalition of local kings, including Ahab, was the first clash between Assyria and Israel. It was the first in a series of wars that would eventually lead to the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel in 722 BC and the reduction of the Kingdom of Judah to an Assyrian tributary state.

Omri in archaeological sources[link]

In archaeology, Omri appears several times over the next century or so. The Moabite Mesha stele (on display in the Louvre) makes reference to the oppression of Moab by "Omri King of Israel". Israel would later become identified in sources as the "House of Omri" (Bit-Humria), with the term "Israel" being used less and less as history progressed (the other defining term for "Israel" is "Samaria", beginning in the reign of Joash). The Assyrian Black Obelisk in the British Museum credits Jehu as being the "son of Omri" while the Bible describes him to be "the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi" ^[3].

Archaeologically speaking, it would appear that Omri was recognized internationally as the founder of the Israelite Kingdom, though Ahab is actually the first king of Israel to appear in non-Israelite sources. The fact that theirs are the earliest attested names of Israelite kings and that the kingdom of Israel became associated with that of the former does not, however, establish that either was considered by these sources to actually be the first king of Israel.

Attitude in contemporary Israel[link]

The Bible displays a negative attitude to King Omri, and it has been followed by later rabbinical tradition. However, Zionism was created mainly by non-religious (sometimes anti-religious) people who re-evaluated many Biblical characters (as well as characters from later Jewish history) according to the criteria of a secular national movement in need of National Heroes. As with many European national movements which served as an example to the founders of Zionism, ancient Jewish warriors in general and warrior kings in particular were often regarded positively. Omri, a successful warrior king and the founder of a strong dynasty, is a conspicuous example.

See also[link]

• History of ancient Israel and Judah
• Omrides

References[link]

External links[link]

• Smith's Bible Dictionary: Omri

Hossam Ramzy (born in Cairo, Egypt) is an Egyptian percussionist and composer. He has worked with Western artists like Jimmy Page and Robert Plant as well as with Arabic music artists like Rachid Taha and Khaled.

Early life and career[link]

Ramzy was born into a wealthy Cairo family. He began playing the darbuka and tabla at an early age. He moved to Saudi Arabia for a time and learned traditional Bedouin music styles. In the 1970s he moved to London and began playing with saxophonist Andy Sheppard. His collaborations with jazz musicians earned him the nickname "The Sultan of Swing".^[1] In 1989 he worked with Peter Gabriel on the soundtrack to Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ.^[2] This brought him to the attention of artists such as Frank Asher and the Gipsy Kings.

In 1994 he returned to his roots and formed a ten piece Egyptian ensemble that performed on the album No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded. Ramzy and his ensemble also gained exposure by touring with Plant and Page throughout 1995 in support of their album.^[3][4] The next year Ramzy released the first of three collaborations with English arranger Phil Thornton, Eternal Egypt. The success of Eternal Egypt's blend of Arabic music prompted the follow up albums Immortal Egypt and Enchanted Egypt.^[5] In 1998, he performed with Rachid Taha, Khaled and Faudel at their 1,2,3 Soleils concert and backed Khaled again for the Claude Challe album Flying Carpet.^[6]

In 2000, Jay-Z sampled his version of "Khosara" for "Big Pimpin'". After 2000 Ramzy increasingly began to work arranging music for pop stars. In 2005 he arranged some songs for Ricky Martin's album Life and he worked with Shakira on her album She Wolf. He also contributed two songs to the soundtrack for the film Prince of Persia and one to the soundtrack for Conan The Barbarian.

His latest album released on 30 August 2011. Entitled Rock the Tabla, it features Indian composer A.R. Rahman, Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Manu Katché and Billy Cobham.^[7]

Personal life[link]

Ramzy lives in London and Cairo with his wife, Brazilian belly dancer Serena.^[8] He made a cameo appearance in the 1993 film Son of the Pink Panther.

Awards[link]

• 1999 New Age Voice Award for Best Contemporary World Music for Immortal Egypt

Selected discography[link]

• 1989 - Passion (Peter Gabriel)
• 1994 - No Quarter
• 1994 - Best of Farid Al Atrash
• 1994 - Best of Abdul Halim Hafiz
• 1994 - Baladi Plus
• 1994 - Sultaan
• 1995 - Source of Fire
• 1996 - Modern Egyptian Belly Dance
• 1996 - Eternal Egypt
• 1997 - Best of Hossam Ramzy
• 1998 - Rhythms of the Nile
• 1998 - Immortal Egypt
• 2000 - Amar
• 2000 - Sabla Tolo — Journeys into Pure Egyptian Percussion
• 2002 - Faddah
• 2002 - Qanun El Tarab
• 2003 - Flamenco Arabe
• 2003 - Hossam Ramzy Presents Egyptian Sufi Sheikh Mohamed Al Helbawy
• 2004 - Enchanted Egypt
• 2007 - Bedouin Tribal Dance
• 2007 - Secrets of the Eye
• 2007 - Sabla Tolo II
• 2008 - Sabla Tolo III
• 2009 - Ruby
• 2011 - Rock the Tabla

References[link]

External links[link]

• Hossam Ramzy at the IMDB

Rachid Taha
Rachid Taha
Background information
Born	(1958-09-18) 18 September 1958 (age 53)
Origin	Sig, Algeria
Genres	Rock,[1][2] Raï, Algerian chaabi,[3] Reggae,[2] Rumba-pop,[2] Funk,[4] British New Wave[4] Electronica,[1] Punk rock,[1] Techno,[5] Dance music[5]
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, activist[1][6]
Years active	1980–present
Labels	Knitting Factory Records Island Records Barclay Records
Website	RachidTaha.Artistes.UniversalMusic.Fr/

Rachid Taha (Arabic: رشيد طه) (born September 18, 1958 in Sig, Algeria) is an Algerian singer and activist^[1][6] based in France^[2] who has been described as "sonically adventurous."^[6] His music is influenced by many different styles such as rock, electronic, punk and raï.

Early life[link]

Taha was born in 1958^[1][4] in Sig (Mascara Province), Algeria,^[1] although a second source suggests he was born in the Algerian seacoast city of Oran.^[4] This town was the "birthplace of raï" music, and 1958 was a key year in the Algerian struggle for independence against French authority.^[4] He began listening to Algerian music in the 1960s,^[3] including street-style music called chaabi.^[3] And music from the Maghreb region was part of his upbringing.^[7]

He moved with his parents to France when he was ten years old, settling in an immigrant community around the French city of Lyon^[1] in 1968.^[8] His father was a textile factory worker,^[9] with long hours and low pay, such that his life was compared to that of a "modern slave", according to one account.^[3] When 17, Taha worked during the day at a central heating plant, described as a "menial job",^[4] and hated this work, but at night worked as a club DJ playing Arabic music, rap, salsa, funks and "anything else that took his fancy."^[3] The contrast between menial work during the day and fun during the night may have helped to develop his musical sensibility.^[7] In the late 1970s, Taha founded the nightclub called The Rejects or, in French, Les Refoulés, where he would spin mashups of Arabic pop classics over Led Zeppelin, Bo Diddley and Kraftwerk backbeats.^[10]

Career[link]

Raï roots[link]

Taha grew up in the seaside Algerian city of Oran.

In the 1980s, Algeria's indigenous pop music known as raï began to achieve international attention.^[4] Originally raï music was based on "city slickers adapting music from the sticks" and was described as ribald, but it became more of a medium for political protest when young people in the 1960s and 1970s used it to "express their anger and desires."^[4] Taha has suggested that Algerian musical styles and rock are "closely linked".^[11] Taha was influenced by the North African raï band Nass El Ghiwane which was described as "Morocco's answer to the Beatles or the Stones."^[12]

Carte de Séjour[link]

In 1981, while living in Lyon, Taha met Mohammed and Mokhtar Amini and the three of them, along with Djamel Dif and Eric Vaquer would soon form a band. In 1982, Taha was the lead vocalist for the Arab-language rock group which they named Carte de Sejour, meaning Green Card or Residence Permit depending on the translation.^[4] He sang in both English and Arabic, but usually in Arabic. Taha was inspired by the group The Clash:

Taha met members of the group The Clash in Paris:^[6]

Clash guitarist Joe Strummer.

Taha believes his early recordings helped to inspire The Clash to create the song Rock the Casbah.^[6] A New York Times music reporter wrote:

These were difficult years since record stores often refused to stock their records "because they didn't want Arabs coming in to their shops."^[3] There was little money; the band performed in suburbs of Lyons.^[3] Taha took a standard patriotic French song entitled Sweet France (in French: Douce France) which had originally been recorded by Charles Trenet in the 1940s, kept the lyrics, but sang it with "furious irony" which irritated many French listeners, particularly coming from a "scruffy, bohemian-looking Arabic singer," to the point where Taha's version was banned from French radio.^[3] The "acerbic" song created a "splash", nevertheless, and won Taha some recognition as a serious artist.^[1] The group never achieved much commercial success and, as a result, Taha had to work a series of day jobs in a factory, then as a house painter, a dishwasher, and later as an encyclopedia salesperson.^[3] They recorded their first maxi album Carte De Séjour in 1983. In 1984, with the help of British guitarist Steve Hillage, the group achieved a "sharp, driving sound" which played well on the radio, and the LP was entitled Rhoromanie.^[4] In his songwriting, Taha wrote about living in exile and the cultural strife associated with being an Algerian immigrant in France.^[2] In 1986, his "sneering punk-rock cover of Douce France" was seen as an "unmistakable protest against the nation's treatment of its immigrant underclass," and caused consternation in French political circles.^[6] His song Voilà, Voilà, protested racism.^[6] Taha has had to cope with anti-Arab sentiment and confusion; for example, the New York Times stated in a front-page story that Taha was Egyptian rather than Algerian, but later posted a correction.^[14] Later, in 2007, Taha-as-an-immigrant was mentioned in France's National Center of the History of Immigration.^[15]

Taha performing in Belgium.

When performing live, Taha wore various outfits, including at one point a leather fedora hat, then later a red cowboy hat.^[2][16] Their second and last LP entitled Ramsa (Five) was released in 1986. The band dissolved in 1989.

Solo years[link]

In 1989, Taha moved to Paris to launch his solo career.^[1][3] At one point he was invited to Los Angeles to record with musician Don Was, who had been a producer associated with the Rolling Stones.^[3] Taha mixed a variety of instruments and styles for his sound. With a drum instrument called a doumbek or darbuka, his new group played Arabic-style beats.^[2] It appeared at one point that Taha might become an "overnight success", but after the release of the album Barbes, sales were disappointing in the United States, possibly because Americans were not keen on Arabic-sounding music during the time of the first Gulf War.^[3]

But American music audience were not ready for Arabic pop after the Gulf War, and Taha's 1991 album Barbes failed to sell well.^[3] In 1993, Taha again worked with Hillage who helped produce Taha's second solo album and helped him achieve "the kind of clubland-raï synthesis." ^[4] Hillage worked on three solo Taha albums from 1993 to 2001, helping Taha return to his "north African roots".^[3] In 1995, he released his solo debut album entitled Olé Olé with Taha looking like an "Aryan androgyne" with dyed blond hair and blue contact lenses, to make a point about anti-Arab bigotry and at the "homophobia of North African culture."^[6] In 1997, his song Ya Rayah became a hit.^[2][11] He performed in the Canary Islands.^[5]

In 2001, Taha released Made in Medina, and a music critic commented that he used a "full and varied instrumental palette" along with "a dizzying vocal facility that transcends whatever style he's plugged."^[4] The album was recorded in Paris, New Orleans, and London with input from the American jam band Galactic.^[4] Taha saw parallels between African and American music and said "New Orleans is like Algiers ... They were both French colonies at one time, and there's even an area there called Algiers," and he noted that Louisiana Zydeco drum patterns were similar to raï music.^[3] Made in Medina combined Algerian roots, techno, pop music, and early rock and punk influences with "remarkable consistency" with previous works, according to Hillage.^[3] There were elements of political protest in his music leading a BBC critic to describe him as a "shit-disturbing artist who risks challenging his own culture as undemocratic."^[7] He wanted to record in New Orleans "because I see parallels between African and American music, and between the music of the African slaves who came to New Orleans, and that of the Gnawas, the black desert tribes who became slaves of the Arabs in north Africa. And New Orleans is like Algiers. They were both French colonies at one time, and there's even an area there called Algiers." He was delighted to find that some of the local Louisiana Zydeco drum patterns are remarkably similar to raï.^[3] A report in The Guardian suggested that Taha had achieved a cult status in pop music.^[3]

Taha's breakthrough album as a solo artist was his bestseller^[3] Diwân, featuring remakes of songs from Algerian and Arab traditions. The album featured traditional instruments like the oud but with a "contemporary veneer of programmed percussion and samples added in."^[3] Taha mixed the oud with strings using a contemporary beat along with guitar work, according to one account.^[11] Taha's album Tékitoi, produced by Steve Hillage^[7] and released in 2004, brought acclaim and recognition from other rock musicians. The title track is "street slang" meaning, roughly, Who the Hell Are You? (from the French Tu es qui, toi ? shortened into T'es qui, toi ?) and the music had "echoes of Joe Strummer", according to a review in The Observer.^[17] In 2005 Taha performed with Robert Plant, Patti Smith and Brian Eno.^[7] He covered The Clash song Rock the Casbah which he retitled with the Arabic name of Rock El Casbah. This song appeared in the 2007 film about Clash frontman Joe Strummer entitled The Future Is Unwritten.^[18] The song suggested rock music as "banned but unstoppable."^[2] And, in one concert, Taha performed the song along with The Clash musician Mick Jones.^[13] The Guardian selected Rock El Casbah as one of the top 50 cover songs.^[19]

Taha played in Morocco in 2005.^[20] In 2007, Taha performed in Canada and a reporter from the Montreal Gazette described his performance while wearing a "pewter pimp suit" which was "stunning":^[7]

A mandolute.

Some critics attribute Taha's unique sound to his use of the mandolute, a mixture of the traditional oud with European fretted instruments. One critic described his arrangements as "no less bombastic" since they mixed North African rhythms and "string orchestra flourishes" with "pummeling big-beat techno, distorted electric guitars, snatches of Bo Diddley, Led Zeppelin and other macho sounds."^[6]

The song Barra Barra from his album Made in Medina was featured in the 2001 film Black Hawk Down as well as in the Games Convention 2008 trailer of the game Far Cry 2. It was featured in the 2007 film The Hunting Party. He performed with the band Dengue Fever.^[21]

His song Garab from Made in Medina was used in the movie The Truth About Charlie in 2002, and also in Blood and Chocolate in 2007. In 2008, Taha was growing increasingly prominent, with greater audiences in places such as Canada, although there were reports that his music had "trouble getting airplay" in France.^[22] He performed with Nigerian artists Fela Kuti, Femi Kuti and Seun Kuti.^[23] as well as Brian Eno in an anti-war concert in London.^[24] He was described as a ""wild Algerian punk fan" performing among a lineup which read like a "Who's Who of west African music", and was part of "Africa Express", a response to the lack of African musicians at Bob Geldof's Live 8 musical extravaganza.^[25]

In 2009, Taha released Bonjour which The Guardian music critic Robin Denselow described as "calmed down" under a new producer, Gaetan Roussel.^[26] Denselow wrote: "The result is an unlikely set in which Taha appears to be deliberately courting a new, wider market by playing down that wild rebel image."^[26] Denselow felt the music was more "commercial" and "not his most exciting."^[26] It included a "rousing tribute" on his cover song Rock El Casbah to the late Clash guitarist Joe Strummer. In 2010, Taha played in Toronto to large audiences.^[27] Taha performed with Algerian artist Mehdi Haddab who plays the oud.^[28] Taha's song "Habina" was featured in the 2010 film, "It's Kind of a Funny Story." Guitarist Carlos Santana recorded his song Migra which went on to sell over 25 million copies.^[3] In 2011, Taha is touring the United States.^[1]

Reviews[link]

• Music critic Philip Brasor in Japan Times commented that Taha's album Made in Medina featured Arabic "chanting" which was meant to evoke "the generalized chaos of society" and which features "heart-stopping break beats, flamenco guitar, African choruses, crunching hard rock and the inevitable sappy love song."^[4]

• Music critic Robin Denselow felt Taha's Bonjour album was calm -- "he switches between ­Arabic and French in this mix of pleasant ­ballads and novelty pop, with just the occasional reminder of the old passion and anger."^[26] Denselow felt his album Tékitoi (2004) was his "most powerful, direct fusion of rock and north African styles to date."^[11] Denselow wrote:

• New York Times wrote about Taha's song Ah Mon Amour:

• BBC News music critic Martin Vennard described Taha's music as a "seductive mixture of traditional North African, rock, techno and dance music."^[5]

• Canadian music critic Philly Markowitz named a Taha album one of the best in 2005.^[29]

• French music critic Amobe Mevegue described Taha as an "eclectic artist".^[30]

Personal life[link]

Taha has been described as "gregarious" and "quick with a smile" who likes to party throughout the night.^[6] He has a cosmopolitan group of friends including a French girlfriend who recently attended Brown University in the United States.^[6] Taha was quoted as saying "I've never wanted to just stay in my own neighborhood, my own community ... It's a kind of conformism. You have to be adventurous."^[6] He does not like contemporary French cinema and said "I'd much rather watch some dumb Hollywood movie than another haute bourgeois auteurist piece of crap."^[6] He has been a critic of the Bush administration although he has made comments favoring a bombing raid on Iran, and said that "Iran shouldn't be allowed to have nukes."^[6]

Discography and Videography[link]

References[link]

• Plastino, Goffredo (2003). Mediterranean Mosaic: Popular Music and Global Sounds. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-93656-X.

External links[link]

• Rachid Taha Official Site
• Rachid Taha Bio, Pictures and Photos
• Read an album review of Diwân 2 at Allaboutjazz.com
• Rachid Taha "Rock El Casbah" on Youtube
• Rachid Taha song appears on Saturday Night Live, FrenchMusicBlog.com

Omri Casspi

No. 36 – Cleveland Cavaliers
Small Forward
Personal information
Born	(1988-06-22) June 22, 1988 (age 24) Holon, Israel
Nationality	Israeli
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight	225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
NBA Draft	2009 / Round: 1 / Pick: 23rd overall
Selected by the Sacramento Kings
Pro career	2005–present
Career history
Maccabi Tel Aviv (2005–06; 2007–09) Hapoel Galil Elyon (2006–07) Sacramento Kings (2009–11) Cleveland Cavaliers (2011–present)
Career highlights and awards
BSL Champion: 2006, 2009 BSL State Cup: 2006 BSL Sixth Man of the Year: 2008 All BSL Team: 2009 NBA All-Star Rookie Team 2010

Casspi, playing for Israel in 2010

Omri Casspi (Hebrew: עומרי כספי‎, born June 22, 1988) is an Israeli professional basketball player with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association. He is 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) tall, and plays at the small forward position.

He was drafted 23rd overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings, making him the first Israeli to be selected in the first round of the draft. With his debut with the Kings in 2009, Casspi became the first Israeli to play in an NBA game.^[1] The Cavaliers traded for him in June 2011.

Early life[link]

Casspi is Jewish,^[2][3][4][5] was born in Holon, Israel, and grew up in Yavne.^[6] He is the son of Shimon and Ilana, and has an older brother, Eitan, and a younger sister, Aviv.^[7]

As a child Casspi played for Elitzur Yavne B.C. and Maccabi Rishon LeZion. When he was 13 he moved to the Maccabi Tel Aviv youth team, winning the State Youth Championship in 2005. Simultaneously he played for his high school basketball team.

Professional career[link]

Israel[link]

Casspi started on the Maccabi Tel Aviv cadet team. He made his professional debut at age 17 with Maccabi Tel Aviv during the 2005–06 season.^[8] He joined Hapoel Galil Elyon on-loan during the 2006–07 season, and was one of its leading players, winning the "Discovery of the Year" award in the end of the season. In April 2007 he scored 14 points for the World Select team at the Nike Hoop Summit in Memphis.^[9]

He returned to Maccabi in 2007. He became part of the team rotation for the following seasons. The team reached the Euroleague Finals in 2008 and won a state championship in 2009. Casspi received the 2008 Israeli League Sixth Man of the Year Award. In February 2009, he finished in fourth place in voting for the FIBA Europe Young Men's Player of the Year Award for the 2008–09 season, behind Ricky Rubio, Danilo Gallinari, and Kosta Koufos.

Casspi plays for the Israel national basketball team in international competition.^[10][11]

NBA[link]

In a pre-season exhibition game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on October 11, 2007, Casspi started the game and shot three-for-three from the floor, including a three-pointer, for eight points in 16 minutes of playing-time.^[12]

In 2008, Casspi declared himself eligible for the 2008 NBA Draft, but he withdrew before the declaration deadline after failing to receive a first-round draft guarantee from any NBA club.^[13]

Sacramento Kings[link]

In 2009, Casspi again declared himself available for the draft. He was drafted 23rd overall by the Sacramento Kings, a team that the prior year had the worst record both in the league and in franchise history.^[14][15] He became the first Israeli player selected as a first round draft pick. Not since Oded Kattash agreed to a contract with the New York Knicks in 1999 had an Israeli player come so close to playing in the NBA.^[16] In July, Casspi signed a 3-year contract worth $3.5 million.

On October 28, 2009, Casspi made his NBA debut for the Kings against the Oklahoma City Thunder, scoring 15 points.^[17] On December 16, 2009, Casspi made his first NBA start. Scoring 22 points against the Washington Wizards, he tied the most points scored by any Kings player in his first start since the team moved to Sacramento in 1985.^[18]

On January 1, 2010, Casspi scored a career-high 23 points against the Los Angeles Lakers (along with 6 rebounds, 1 steal, and 3 assists) as the Kings lost 109–108. On January 2, 2010, he grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds against the Dallas Mavericks (along with 22 points, 1 steal, and 4 assists) as the Kings lost 99–91. On January 5, 2010, Casspi set a new career high with 24 points against the Phoenix Suns (along with 7 rebounds, 1 assist, no turnovers, and 10–19 from the field) as the Kings lost 113–109.

In 2010, Casspi was chosen to participate in the NBA All-Star Weekend Rookie Challenge, as well as the NBA All-Star Weekend H–O–R–S–E Competition against Kevin Durant and Rajon Rondo.

In 2010-11, Casspi played in 71 games for Sacramento (starting 27 of them). He averaged 8.6 points, shot .412 shooting (including .372 from three-point range), and averaged 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 24.1 minutes per game. In his 27 starts, averaged 10.7 points on .435 shooting, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 31.3 minutes per game. In his two seasons for Sacramento, he averaged 9.5 points on .431 shooting, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 24.6 minutes per game.^[19]

Cleveland Cavaliers[link]

On June 30, 2011, Casspi and a 2012 1st round draft pick were traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for forward/center J.J. Hickson.^[19] The News-Herald opined that Casspi will likely start at small forward for the Cavaliers.^[20]