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- [00:05]
Leslie
Hey, everybody, it's Leslie. About a month ago, I went on this trip to Israel, which is a longer story about how I was able to go on that trip with this incredible group of people. And while on it, I had the distinct honor of hearing this man, Tamir Goodman, speak. I am not admittedly a huge sports person, but even I had heard of him. I don't know. For you older people, if you remember about 20 plus years ago, a young high school basketball player who was called the Jewish Jordan because he was an Orthodox Jewish player, who I think was the first Orthodox Jewish player that got a D1 scholarship to play basketball. But also his faith was so strong that he wouldn't play on Shabbat. And for those who don't know what Shabbat is, it's from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. You really aren't supposed to do anything, let alone play basketball, which makes it hard for those moms out there who have kids who do travel sports. You know, that makes it really impossible. But despite that, he absolutely persevered and pursued his dream. And this is all, actually, I should add, with dyslexia and, you know, had real setbacks and real sort of prejudice against him for being so observant and, you know, his talk. Before I went to Israel, I didn't know if we could go. We had a bunch of stuff happening at home. And I got there and I thought, you know, this is part of the reason why I'm here, is to, you know, be fortunate enough to meet people that are as inspiring as he is. And here he is, he's an American Israeli living in Israel with his family now. So there's all of those challenges that come with living in Israel and being Israeli, American Israeli in this moment. But his attitude, his faith, his character, his purpose, his light is just really inspiring. And so he went on to be a professional basketball player in Israel and has gone on to coach and mentor, and he's a motivational speaker and he's an entrepreneur. He's had a bunch of ups and downs in his career there, and he's now also an author, having written a book about his dyslexia. So I was blown away by Tamir when I heard him speak. I begged him to be on my podcast and stalked him after the fact, and he was gracious enough to agree. Every minute I've spent with him, whether listening to him talk or having him on the podcast, has been really transformational for me, and I'm pretty sure it will be for all of you as well. So I'm really, really thrilled to introduce you to Tamir. Good. Okay. So, Tamir, here you are, young kid in Baltimore, right? You're one of eight children. Nine kids. Okay. And tell us, like, how do you start playing basketball?
- [03:05]
Tamir Goodman
I started playing basketball because my older brothers played, and it was love at first sight. I just love the game. And early on, I felt like the love is just, like, beaming for the game. And I share a story. A lot of times that I'm playing in the backyard and I lose, and my older brother comes in the kitchen and tells my mother, like, tell Tamir to stop taking basketball so seriously. Like, why does he get so upset when he loses? Like, I'm the older brother. Of course he's not supposed to beat us. And I looked at my mother, and I told her that it's not just a game for me. Like, I really, really love basketball. And I already knew at that age, like, what I wanted to try to go ahead and do and. And that was to get a scholarship to play basketball in college without playing on Shabbat. I really wanted to show the world that I'd be able to do that and also play professionally without playing on Shabbat. And even though my mother doesn't really know anything about basketball, didn't know anything about basketball, she just kind of gave me the look with her eyes that she was gonna support my dream, even though it seemed, like, impossible. And her support and together with the love of the game, that's kind of what, like, gave me my jumpstart. I felt really great that I knew my mother believed in me, even though it seemed impossible.
- [04:21]
Leslie
I mean, you were under 10 when you had this, right. This revelation that this is, like, your passion and you were gonna do it. And I love the sort of awareness of saying, I'm gonna get a D1 scholarship. Just all the steps that you sort of. You were already kind of looking ahead. But how old were you? I mean, you were really young, right.
- [04:39]
Tamir Goodman
When you had eight, eight or nine years old. But I. I just kind of lived in the right house, I would say, meaning, like, my grandmother was a Holocaust survivor. And so it's like a very inspirational home of, like, you know, trying to reach your dreams, and also a home of faith, of where we try to combine the physical with the spiritual. And I also had a coach that lived a couple blocks away from us. So it was kind of like everything came together for me, had the right support, the right family, the right neighborhood, the right people around me.
- [05:15]
Leslie
And what was the. You know, I have Three kids and I have two boys. And it's really interesting to see. And by the way, we don't, I swear we don't cultivate this, but they do have kind of like a funny and sometimes serious depending like competition around, like sports or, you know, who, who fell skiing or who was playing, whatever. What was their reaction to you kind of making this announcement? The younger brother, you were going to be this basketball star?
- [05:41]
Tamir Goodman
My brothers all played in high school. They all played varsity basketball, but traditionally in an observant Jewish home. After high school, basketball especially back then, you were to go study at like a religious school for college, something like that. Like a yeshiva.
- [05:58]
Leslie
Yeah.
- [05:58]
Tamir Goodman
So that, that's what they did. But I just had different aspirations. I wanted to show the world. You know, I, I think about it now, it's like it's almost impossible to get a Division 1 scholarship. It's almost impossible. There's so many millions of kids that are playing high school basketball around the world nowadays. They recruit around the world too. And putting on top of that that I wasn't willing to play from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, especially all those years ago, it was literally almost impossible. And I'm just thankful that I was around the right people that gave me the right guidance and that God blessed me to go chase the dream. A lot of times the hardest part is going after the dream.
- [06:41]
Leslie
Well, yeah, so tell me about that. Right, so you tell your mom this and like, what does that actually look like and translate into. You already had your basketball coach up the road, right? Did she join you, joined travel league, or how you're practicing after school, or was there basketball at your school? Like how, how were you actually, you know, realizing that?
- [07:00]
Tamir Goodman
Exactly. So I was always training every chance that I could. In a Jewish school we have dual curriculum. So up until like the afternoon you're studying in Hebrew and then only then do you start your English subjects. So my older brothers would have school from like let's say 7:30 in the morning, probably till 6:30 at night. In elementary school we had Wolf from like, let's just say like 8:30 until 3:30. So I would go with them. So I'd have a chance to play for an hour in the morning and then go to development. It was the same building. I just walked back to elementary school. And then after school I wouldn't go home with my friends. I'd stay and practice in the gym until my brothers had practice. And that way I got extra three hours of basketball in, in the summertime, I'd Only go to basketball camps, also play local rec. But I think one story that kind of sums up the passion was when I was growing up, they came out with the quick release bike tires, I don't know if you remember that, where you could take off your tire quickly off your bicycle and then lock it to the frame so that no one could steal your tire. So I was one of the first kids in the neighborhood to get that bike. And I kept on taking my tire on and off, on and off. And I guess one day I didn't put it back on properly and I was coming home and I did a wheelie, and as I was doing a wheelie, the front tire came off and I got in a big bike accident. And I was. I was in the hospital and I got stitches all over my face and even stitches in my mouth. I was. I was a mess. But when I came home from the hospital, the first thing I did, I went to our yard and I started jumping rope. It was the summertime, and my mother came outside and she was really upset and she said, what in the world are you doing? I still had stitches all over my, my face and everything. And I said, well, you signed me up for basketball camp. I just want to make sure that I'm still going to be in shape. I feel like, you know, being out in the hospital and everything, I may have lost, like, my conditioning and I don't want to lose my conditioning. So jumping rope to be ready for basketball camp. And my mother just, she just couldn't believe the passion for the game and guess, the determination, and ultimately she had to give in. And I went to camp with special creams all over my face to protect. Oh, my gosh, bars and everything. But, yeah, that, that's, that's how it all started.
- [09:13]
Leslie
Well, now you, I mean, you have children of your own, right? You have. How many kids do you have?
- [09:17]
Tamir Goodman
Five, thank God, five.
- [09:19]
Leslie
So, you know, being a parent now, you kind of recognize, you know, when you're describing this to me, I'm like, that's so really extraordinary, right? To have that kind of drive and passion for. For anything, for a sport, for a subject, for a hobby. So, okay, so you're. You're like the kid who's practicing before you go to school, you're practicing after school, and that's just. You kind of shooting hoops, right? You're just in the gym practicing, practicing. You're not playing with a team at that point.
- [09:49]
Tamir Goodman
A little bit of rec ball. But I would stay and then watch the high school practice. Because it was my same coach that would coach the high school, so I actually would watch practice, and then I'd go to his house afterwards and watch film. I learned how to watch film at a very young age. Like, what are coaches looking for? Getting a deeper understanding of the game. And then as I moved on in my life and realizing all the learning difficulties that I had, I started doing my homework at coach's house, too, because he saw my struggle and saw how hard it was for me to read and write. And I just felt comfortable at his house. And he said, you know what? His. His. We used to watch a film down in the basement. He would just say, come here. Just right as you talk, and I'm going to come down and check it out. Check out what you did later. And that was very calming for me. I didn't get so uptight and nervous about the dyslexia. And so I. A lot of. I spent a lot of time at coach's house watching film and also doing my homework.
- [10:45]
Leslie
Were you actually diagnosed as a dyslexic? I know you. You were a delayed reader, and you were having. You knew that you had that struggle, but were you getting. Were you diagnosed that way? Were you getting any kind of support at school?
- [10:57]
Tamir Goodman
Things were very different back then. My parents tried the best they could, but it was a very, very hard struggle. But eventually, I met an amazing doctor that told me that because of my dyslexia, I had probably have, like, a unique intuition on the court. And that gave me a lot of confidence because I felt like he was right. And I started seeing things in my life that were like, yeah, it's very hard for me to read or write, but the dyslexia of giving me, like, a certain intuition, a certain vision in basketball. And I can remember, like, on a Sunday afternoon, we were all watching an NBA game with my whole family, and I just yelled out. I said, all you. And a couple seconds later in the game, there wasn't all of you. It really happened. And my family was like, tamir, how did you know? And then I started realizing that the dyslexia is, like, letting me see things on the court. It's letting me see fires that are open that maybe other people didn't see that they were open, or maybe see two passes in advance of what's going to happen. And a lot of times with dyslexia, we're always compensating throughout the day, exercising muscles in our brain that most people don't. So it just allows you to see the world in a little bit of a more creative way. And that gave me a little bit of extra confidence on the basketball court, even though in the classroom was very hard for me.
- [12:14]
Leslie
Yeah, that's so interesting. I remember you explaining that it was kind of like you discovered this superpower through this challenge. That was a challenge. You know, in an academic setting, they're asking for certain things from you, but it kind of opened up. You were just saw things that other people didn't see, like, it became your superpower. So here you are, you're in high school. You know, you want this D1 scholarship. You have dyslexia. It's really hard for you in the classroom. You have this coach who's kind of really supporting you and helping you, even with the academic piece. But how does that all begin to play out? Like, let's talk about the recruitment part, right? So you're looking to be recruited. You know, you want D1, you have this academic challenge. How do you work through all that?
- [13:00]
Tamir Goodman
What usually happens is you get invited to an invitational camp. You have to understand, I went to all boys school. We only had 60 kids in the entire school, like 9 through 12, and no one ever played college basketball in our school's history. So how was I going to ever get invited to an invitational camp?
- [13:18]
Leslie
Yeah, how are you doing this, Tamir? I know you. I know you figured it out because.
- [13:24]
Tamir Goodman
So after 10th grade, we had a. We had a pretty good season, and people in Baltimore started finding out about us public schools and private schools, and we had a couple articles in the newspaper, and I was averaging over 30 points as a sophomore, so it was enough to get me invited to an invitational camp. And when I got to the invitational camp, I was seen as a curiosity because I was wearing my kippah and I came with kosher food. And most people never even saw a Jewish. Probably never even saw a Jewish basketball player before and just happens to be that. Like, one day, because of my dyslexia, at a really, really important camp game when there was a lot of scouts there and a lot of coaches and a lot of players, I threw in around the back pass in between two defenders, and my teammate caught the ball and he dunked it. And that pass changed my life. Everything changed in one second because, you know, I could almost see the scouts like. Like, what was that? Like, inching up, inching up in their chairs, like, taking a closer look. Like, what did we just see? Like, who is this kid? Like, what's going on here? Maybe we shouldn't look at the way that he looks, but maybe the way that he plays. And that was, like, my breakthrough because that's when coaches started to, like, even notice me. I felt like the first couple days, no one was even noticing me. No one was even, like, gonna give me a shot. They were focused on the other players and maybe like, who is this kid? Like, why is he even at this camp? I even remember another player telling me, like, did you not know this was invit? Like, you can't just show up here. Like, that's how lost I look on the first couple days. But the camp was one week long. By the time camp was over, I had seven Division 1 offers.
- [14:53]
Leslie
So I remember a story about you that was this, where you were like, everybody's practicing on different courts, and then you were practicing on the outside courts. But then there. Ha. Is it. Is this that exact time?
- [15:07]
Tamir Goodman
Exactly. Yeah, because.
- [15:08]
Leslie
Tell us about that. Because that talk about divine intervention, like, you know, there was some, you know, higher power, you know, moving that around so that they made sure that you got. You got seen.
- [15:19]
Tamir Goodman
Correct. Like, most of the games were outside. There was 15 courts, and the coaches would go to the specific court of the players that they were recruiting. So unless the coaches really knew about you and where you were playing and on what court, they probably weren't going to chase you to that specific court. But it just happened to be when it was our turn to play indoors instead of outdoors because there was only one gym. It started raining outside, and all the games got canceled. So all the scouts and all the coaches and all everyone had to come into the gym the one time a week that was our turn to play inside instead of outside. And that's when I threw the pass and changed my life. That one. You know, there's a saying in Judaism, Yeshua to Shem, Kevin, God could change everything in the blink of an eye. And that. That's what happened to me. It took, like, a. I could say second from the ball to get from one side of the court to the other side of the court. And everything changed for me right in that one second.
- [16:14]
Leslie
Okay, so you make this pass, and then what happens? You go to the. You. You did. You know in that moment that that was, like, a really important play that you had just made.
- [16:25]
Tamir Goodman
Yeah, because I felt like maybe you've experienced this or sometimes, like, we're at our best when we don't even realize, like, what we're doing. There's just, like, so much space for godliness to be there at the moment. Like a great Singer might say, like, I had my best concert tonight because I didn't even feel like. I didn't even feel the crowd. Like, I was just completely given over to the moment. So, like, yeah, at that moment, like, basketball was just. I just felt like a huge block off my chest and just like, everything was just happening. So I knew that, like, it was a really special moment. And I felt much more confident after that. And my talent, my. My blessings came out much more after that.
- [17:06]
Leslie
So you go back to the bench, the game is over. And then, like, when you say you got seven D1 offers, how does that work? Like, people call you on the phone. Are they coming? The only reference. The only reference I have for, like, recruitment is the blind side, right? Where the coaches came to the house and they were like, talking to him. Was that happening? Were they, like, kind of pitching you on their different schools, or did they talk to. That you talked to your coach? Like, how. How does that all play out?
- [17:32]
Tamir Goodman
Yeah, my coach was there, but I. I just found out from the camp director that that's what coaches told him. They told me that on Friday. And then when I got home, there was. That's when I started to get, like, a lot of letters in the mail. Like, I used to have shoe boxes full of letters. And then you learn the process once those letters start becoming, like, handwritten, then, you know, that's when you know that the coaches are really serious, that they're actually, like, writing you something in their own handwriting and really want you to be part of their basketball program. And I started getting those letters started to get really exciting.
- [18:08]
Leslie
So when did you tell them? So you're getting all these letters, and then obviously, like, it's probably like dating in a way. Like, you know, things get a little more serious. You had a good dinner, you know, I don't know. Then you're like, I want to see that person again. Or. I liked what they said about what the school has to offer, but did you come right out in the beginning and say, listen, I would love to play for your school, but just so you know, I don't play on Friday. I'm an. I'm observant, and I don't play Friday evenings, and I don't play on Saturday.
- [18:35]
Tamir Goodman
I tell you, kind of work backwards. It worked because somehow the media, like, found out about all of this, and it just got. It was. By the time I was in 11th grade, I was there. I. There was one week where I had 700 meter requests. And through the media, I made it known that Kind of like, I'm never gonna. I'm an observant Jew, and I don't play basketball in Shabbat. And, you know, Jerry Seinfeld did a skit about me and SportsCenter and 60 Minutes and Washington Post. Like, just so much media. So as that was happening, I was getting more and more letters and more and more coaches were coming to watch. But, like, the dyslexia problem was getting worse and worse because as I was, you know, now in 11th, I can't really pass my SATs.
- [19:25]
Leslie
Yeah.
- [19:26]
Tamir Goodman
So I was really scared because now I'm really famous. Like, whatever. A lot of people know about me, but they didn't know about the dyslexia. So, like, what if I get all these offers and I can't pass my SATs? Like, and then the media is going to write about it. So that was. I was really scared about that happening.
- [19:42]
Leslie
That's a lot of pressure, Tamir, for a junior in high school.
- [19:47]
Tamir Goodman
Yeah, it was. It was a lot. But I was in good hands, and I got the right academic help. I started. I started doing basketball clinics to make a little money to help pay for the private tutoring, and that was kind of how I got through that. And then when I finally did commit, I committed to University of Maryland. Yes. Like, probably one of the first things I told them was, no matter what, I'm never going to play on Shabbat.
- [20:14]
Leslie
And how did you decide on Maryland among, like, all the other schools that were. Were wanting you?
- [20:21]
Tamir Goodman
Because I'm from Maryland, and I grew up watching University in Maryland, and they were my favorite team, and it was like, more than a dream come true. That. That was the one I was. And that was the moment.
- [20:35]
Leslie
So tell us about this. So you go to Maryland, right? And you get. You start there, right? You. They agreed that you don't have to play on Shabbat. By the way, as an aside, when were you nicknamed the Jewish Michael Jordan? When did that happen? Was that when you were in high school or when you.
- [20:50]
Tamir Goodman
11Th grade? 11th. I think that was on the. I think I was on the front page of the Washington Post, like, 11 days in a row. They couldn't even play in my high school anymore. We had to move all the games to collegiate gyms, and even there, they were more than sold out. And there was so much all the, like, top. Top broadcasters, espn, they were coming to our high school games. It was. It's hard to even explain. It's hard to even explain. Like, I had four pages in Sports Illustrated when I was 17 years old.
- [21:22]
Leslie
Incredible. Now tell me. I remember there was a story like your dad always went to games, but your mom would get nervous going to games.
- [21:29]
Tamir Goodman
Right.
- [21:29]
Leslie
Something remind me about that.
- [21:32]
Tamir Goodman
Yeah. So at the end of my senior year of high school where I actually had. The media was so relentless and so crazy that I actually transferred just for my senior year. My. My high school that I went to couldn't accommodate the. The basketball and the media and everything. So I transferred to Christian school. And this Christian school, it's called Tacoma Academy. Their Seventh Day Adventist, so they don't play basketball on Shabbat either. So that's why I was able to transfer to Christian school.
- [22:02]
Leslie
Oh, that's amazing. I didn't. I remember that you transferred. I didn't realize that they also didn't play on Daniel Plan Shabbat. Yeah.
- [22:12]
Tamir Goodman
Seventh Day Adventists celebrate the Sabbath on Saturday, not Sunday, even though most. Most Christians celebrate on Sunday.
- [22:20]
Leslie
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [22:21]
Tamir Goodman
So that's. I transferred to Tacoma Academy and at the end of my senior year, I got invited to play in a very prestigious all star game called the Capital Classic All Star Game. And that was the game where, you know, my mother usually, she never would come to watch me play because she was always scared that I was going to get hurt. But this was such a big game on such a big arena, and so many important people were going to be there that I. I asked her to come. And even, you know, she. She came, but she, she just didn't know what was going on and she thought that I wasn't playing well. She. She decided she was going to leave the arena. She couldn't take it. And as she was exit. As he was exiting the arena, the usher who helped everyone find their seat.
- [23:02]
Leslie
Yeah.
- [23:03]
Tamir Goodman
Stopped her and said, what's going on? And she said, I can't take it. My son's Tamir, and I don't think he's playing well. He said, no, he's playing really well and you can sit next to me. My mom sat next to him until the end of the game. And then they made the announcement that I won the most valuable player of the game against the best high school players in America. So I ended off high school on a very good note. Going to the Christian school was a very big blessing for me. Academically, athletically, socially. Like, I learned so much. It was like, you know, I really had to experience something totally different. And I think sometimes that's the best way to grow. And on the court it was great. And I made new friends for life. But As I was going to play in college, University of Maryland, and I was already training there, they basically said like, I could stay and play and I had a scholarship, but based on how they saw things moving forward, I have to play on Saturday. So I gave them scholarship back. They won the. The national championship. I would have been on that team, but then Towson University called me up. It's a Division 1 program. And said they read about me in the paper and that they would love to try to help. Then can they learn more about my religion? And the coaches came over the house and they managed to make history and change the schedule so that I would not have to. So that I had to be able to get that scholarship and not have to find Shabbat. And I lived out my dream. And I. Forever grateful. I. I think I'm the only person in American sports to. To do that. That wasn't me. It was like God and, and my teammates and, and coaching. And they allowed me to do them something that seemed impossible. And I'm forever grateful for that moment.
- [24:39]
Leslie
But how did Towson. Did they have to sort of work with the league or whoever you were playing against to say we need to accommodate us and have games not on Saturday?
- [24:49]
Tamir Goodman
Yeah. Well, my father blessed memory and coach sat down together and they went over a Jewish calendar. And in a Jewish calendar it says every Friday what time Shabbat starts, and on Saturday night what time Shabbat ends. And coach wrote down all those times and he went to the conference and said, is there any way we could adjust the time? So like, let's say for example, we had a game on Saturday at 2pm and the sundown went down at like 5:30 in the winter. Say, for example.
- [25:18]
Leslie
Yeah.
- [25:18]
Tamir Goodman
They would coach ask, can we just bump up the game to 6pm Instead of playing at 2pm I think there was like five times throughout the season, five adjustments that they had to make, and they made them. And that's awesome. Forever grateful.
- [25:31]
Leslie
That is awesome. That is awesome. Okay, so you get to Towson. I remember you. You got a great roommate. Like, wasn't there some best.
- [25:38]
Tamir Goodman
Yeah, I have a Muslim roommate named Muhammad Fafana, who was incoming freshman basketball player as well. So I'm a Jewish kid that graduated from a predominantly African American Christian school. There were Seven Day Adventists. And then I go to Towson and I'm rooming with a Muslim basketball player. And I just felt like, wow, this game is so amazing. It's. It's just bringing together so many people.
- [26:03]
Leslie
Yeah.
- [26:03]
Tamir Goodman
So many cultures. Just through this just amazing game of basketball. And I felt like that was such a big blessing in my life that, like, the more diversity, the more people you get to meet, the more you realize we're all created in God's image. We're all one. We're all family. And I'm just so thankful to my teammates. Till today, they are all brothers to me. Like, it's unbelievable. And now my kids are friends with their kids, and it's all through basketball. It's just so magical. Like, so many. Probably a lot of these relationships wouldn't even existed if it wasn't through basketball. And now look at. They're. We're literally like extended family. It's unbelievable. And that's one of my favorite things about basketball. I think that's one of the holy things of sports, is it's ability to bring people together like no other. No other platform. Yeah.
- [26:49]
Leslie
Well, just the idea that you're all on the same team. Right? Like, that. The implication of the word team and kind of what that means. But wasn't there a great story about him? Muhammad? Like, you had to. You couldn't eat at a certain time. Like, there was something you about. You had to bring your food somewhere, but you couldn't.
- [27:05]
Tamir Goodman
There's a holiday in Judaism called the festival of boots, Sukkot. And on Friday night on Shabbat, Jewish people, we don't carry in a public domain because it's seen as, like, work. So I had no way of carrying my food from our dorm room to the other side of campus to eat in the booth, to eat in the Sukkah to celebrate the holiday.
- [27:27]
Leslie
Yeah. Yeah.
- [27:29]
Tamir Goodman
And even though Muhammad wasn't Jewish, he carried my food for me on Friday night all the way into the Sukkah so that I'd be able to celebrate the holiday. And that was just like, the first of many, many, many opportunities of where we were there for each other. And here I am now 43. And Muhammad and I, whenever we text, we always sign off saying, I love you.
- [27:52]
Leslie
That's awesome. That's awesome.
- [27:53]
Tamir Goodman
Yeah.
- [27:54]
Leslie
All right. So you had this great coach at Towson, but then something changed right later there.
- [27:59]
Tamir Goodman
Yeah, I had amazing freshman season. I even did really well academically, and I won an award for best performance on and off the court. I was living the dream. But unfortunately, on spring break, my coach got fired. The one who accommodated me and changed everything for me. They brought in a new coach who. It's just the exact opposite. So it was. I don't want to talk too much about it. But very bad incident happened in the locker room.
- [28:24]
Leslie
Yep.
- [28:25]
Tamir Goodman
And I was broken. I never played another game of college basketball again. It took me a while because I was broken emotionally, physically and spiritually. I think sometimes we need to like, separate experiences that happen to us from ourselves. And one day I woke up and I said, you know, I can't understand why this happened to me, but I can't let this take me away from what my mission is in this world and what I'm trying to accomplish through basketball. And instead of making like the trauma, like my identity, tried to separate the trauma from my identity and say, realize this happened, but it's not who I am. I'm on this mission here and I gotta get myself back in shape and continue playing basketball. I can't quit. I can't lose my identity because something happened to me. That trauma doesn't identify who I am. And I picked myself back up and I got the phone call from Coach David Black, who was the first Israeli to coach in the NBA. And when he called me up, I was really, really excited if I wanted to try out for Maccabi Tel Aviv, which is the top team here in Israel. And I went to the tryout and I was able to sign a three year contract after the tryout, come here to Israel to play professionally. And I'm forever grateful to Coach Black for that opportunity. And I even got to live with my grandmother, who was a Holocaust survivor because she was living here in Israel. So I was able to play professional basketball and live with my grandmother. What, what an honor. Like what, What a blessing. I just forever grateful you're at Towson.
- [29:52]
Leslie
You leave Towson because of this horrible incident that happened with the coach. And then you get this call from how long. You get this call from this famous Israeli coach, right? Who was coaching professionally in the U.S. right? And he said, I want you to come play. Was he going back to coach that team in Israel? He's like, I want you to come play.
- [30:11]
Tamir Goodman
He read about me in the paper. He read about what happened in the paper.
- [30:15]
Leslie
Okay.
- [30:16]
Tamir Goodman
He was here in Israel and he said, well, first I know coach in New Jersey. He's like, go up there, meet him. He's going to try you out. And if he says it's worth it for me, I'm going to fly to America to meet you. And that's what happens.
- [30:29]
Leslie
Were you excited about moving to Israel, living in Israel, playing for Israel?
- [30:33]
Tamir Goodman
I was very excited, obviously. And my grandmother was my favorite person in the world. I mean, she was my hero. We know that she survived the Holocaust, who survived two concentration camps. And I think in my contract, they were going to offer me an apartment as part of the contract. And I told them, I don't want that. I just want to live with my grandmother. And I mean, every second with her was just indescribable. Like, just how, thank God, she was able to survive and live that long. Live long enough that I was already age 20 and able to just, you know, be. Be with her and learn from her and be in her apartment. And it was unbelievable. Those moments I'll never forget.
- [31:14]
Leslie
That's amazing. That's amazing. And how. So during this time. So you're there for three years and then you met your wife at some point, right?
- [31:21]
Tamir Goodman
I met my wife in my rookie season, my. My rookie pro season. And that was, is, and always will be my most special blessing that God ever blessed me with. I'm 43. We've been. This summer is going to be our 22nd anniversary, and there isn't one day or one second that a. I just don't. Can't imagine how God gave me the blessing to meet her. And two, I still can't process, like, just how incredible my wife is. Like, all day, every day. I'm just so thankful for her. I just can't believe it. And looking back, like, I had to go through so much, so many challenges or so many terrible moments, but yet, ultimately, had I not gone through those, I wouldn't have met her. Like, what if I would have stayed in school for four years? Right? And, like, it's just amazing. I just can't get over it. And I'm so thankful to God and so thankful to my wife. She's everything in the world to me.
- [32:17]
Leslie
Remind me, though, how you guys met.
- [32:19]
Tamir Goodman
We met because there was a local hospital that the kids read about me. The kids in the hospital read about me as American basketball player moved here. We'd love to meet him. And so this organization called me up that works with the kids and said, can you come? And I said, yeah, sure, I'd love to. I just. I don't know where I am yet, you know, like, can you help me with arrangements and logistics? And the lady that was started says, sure. And she's like, do you mind if I bring my friend? And I said, no. And I met her friend and she said, you know, we have a similar story. We're both from America, and we both put faith ahead of sports because she was going to get a scholarship to run in college, but she told them that she won't compete on Shabbat, she moved to Israel. And when she told me that, I just knew we were going to get married. And we actually say, like, do you.
- [33:05]
Leslie
Want to get married? Yeah.
- [33:07]
Tamir Goodman
Two weeks later, we got engaged.
- [33:08]
Leslie
So that's amazing. Okay, so you've met the love of your life. You're living with your grandmother. You're playing professionally in Israel, and then you played for other, you know, other teams, too, in Israel, right?
- [33:22]
Tamir Goodman
That was correct. I played seven years professionally, and then, unfortunately, I blew my knee out. And that was really, really devastating for me. Thank God I had my wife. I wouldn't have been able to bounce back from that without her. She says. Told me she's like, you know, you're going to be doing the same thing. You're just going to be wearing a different uniform. And that was, like, really healing because I never just played basketball just for myself. I tried to do good through the game of basketball, and.
- [33:49]
Leslie
Right.
- [33:49]
Tamir Goodman
That's what I'm doing now, you know, that I'm going to be doing for the rest of my life, God willing. It's doing good to the game in different ways, whether it's product development, entrepreneurship, charity events, camps, clinics, speaking engagements. My new book, everything goes under that umbrella of trying to better the world and trying to get good through the game of basketball.
- [34:10]
Leslie
You know, you mentioned that you blew out your knee and then you were. I think you were doing clinics and teaching kids, but you also started some businesses and had some great successes and a couple of setbacks. Tell us about that.
- [34:22]
Tamir Goodman
So immediately after playing, I invented a basketball training aid, and that training aid got stolen from me, and I was really, really hurt after that. And I told my wife, like, I'm not going to get in the sports entrepreneur product startup space anymore. Because even though I had a patent, it got stolen from me. So I just focused.
- [34:43]
Leslie
It was like a basketball rebound, like, exactly. Kind of reaction. Right. And then did. Was it Dick's Sporting Goods or who can we call out for stealing your. Somebody's.
- [34:52]
Tamir Goodman
No, I wasn't.
- [34:52]
Leslie
Or stole your technology, Right?
- [34:54]
Tamir Goodman
Yeah. Yeah. No, it wasn't. It was. Yeah. So then I just focused on Cam's clinic, speaking engagements, and then that took us all the way up until Corona. And then when Corona hit, we got an email thing. We can't pass the basketball anymore because there's bacteria on the ball. So I knew Israel was a world leader in textiles, so I was like, I'm going to go back on my own promise and create an antimicrobial and moisture wicking Net So when someone makes a shot, it's almost like a Clorox wipe. The net is antimicrobial. It'll disinfect the ball and dry the ball so it's not so slippery during the games. A lot of times you'll see players like wiping their hands because the balls really sweaty and slippery. So I went back on my own promise and I created the avivnet and thank God that is changing basketball around the world. And because of the success of that, I got a phone call from a company named Fabric that's a mixed reality company. And they wanted to get into the space of sports. And thank God I was hired head of sports there. And that's been a tremendous blessing because now we're, we're working with leagues all over the world. And basically what we do at Fabric is there's QR codes everywhere we go nowadays. And the QR codes take you usually to a landing page or like a website. We take a QR code and offer a mixed reality experience to the fans that are in their arena based on time and space. So it gives like brands or sponsors. People in the sporting space like much more data because once it's directly in the phone, fans engage with it and now the brands could, could track the data. So in the past, like if you are a big company and you took out an advertisement in an arena, you don't know what your return on investment is for that, how many people are going to buy a drink because they saw the brand's logo on the court. But we could basically take that signage and using mixed reality, put it directly in the fan's phone. And once they engage with the signage on the phone, the brand now gets all the data back and they could do whatever they want. They could offer information about the brand, they could do polling, they could do digital scratchers, anything they want in mixed reality. So, you know, between the blessing of the avivnet and now having a dream job with Fabric, I just feel so thankful that I'm able to live out my dream. And I'm still, I'm still coaching all the time, helping players. I still have, you know, I have basketball camp in the summer. I get a lot of phone calls every day in the basketball space, which I love. I love helping coaches, love helping players. And my book, my book just came out. It's mostly about overcoming challenges, learning difficulties, and I'm thankful. The feedback's been great. I've been getting calls from all over the world, Singapore and South Africa, and kids reading the book and feeling empowered. So Judy was right, my wife was right. You know, you're going to be doing the same thing, just wearing a different uniform.
- [37:35]
Leslie
You know, you and I actually met in Israel and I was listening to you speak and I was just so taken by, you know, your life's journey and you have, you know, and I was just actually having dinner with a friend last night who was having a bit of a bump in the road. And I said, you can't see it now, but there is a re. You know, there's a reason for it, right, These. And I was so inspired by what you were sort of saying. Like you take these setbacks, right? Like you set back with the, with what happened with different times, with different colleges and the recruitment issue there and then, and kind of how that brought you to another, better place. You just didn't see it at the time, but how you just kept on going, right? I love your wife's, as you said, her, what she said to you about you're going to keep doing what you're doing, but just in a different uniform. But then you had the setback with the, with the basketball rebound machine and you're like, okay, I'm just going to keep going and keep doing. And then you discovered this net, right, Which I think isn't the. Aren't they using it now?
- [38:34]
Tamir Goodman
Yeah, we're, we're, yeah, the net. We're starting to get in leagues all over the world and, and changing basketball because it keeps the players hands safer and cleaner and it helps to play better because the ball's not as slippery. But there's an ancient Jewish saying in Hebrew, the setbacks aren't there to set us back. They're there so that like we could jump even higher. Like if you think about the way somebody jumps, we go down and then we jump forward. So it's like the challenges aren't there to break us, they're there to help us jump even higher and learn something. Throughout the way there's some type of growth. There's always a growth in the challenge.
- [39:09]
Leslie
I love that, by the way. I wish I could. I was going to try to repeat it, but I don't, I don't think my. I'm afraid I'd massacre the Hebrew saying, but maybe you can give me a phonetic pronunciation offline so I can use that because it's a really beautiful saying and so poignant. And as you said, you know, one of the things too, as part of your growth has been kind of managing your dyslexia. And you did write a book, right? As you mentioned. And it's kind of geared towards children, right? To give them, you know, confidence and a boost and just to see sort of the kind of superpower behind that challenge. Right?
- [39:46]
Tamir Goodman
In a way, a hundred percent. Yeah. I've coached thousands of kids in my life now, and I've seen firsthand, like, what happens when a kid finds out they have a learning difficulty. It's like. It's almost like you could see, like, them just feeling so crushed. And the book is there to let them know you don't need to feel crushed. There's a superpower there. There's a hidden blessing. Let's go find that blessing and have an incredible, meaningful, special, empowered life. And I just bring out stories throughout my journey. So I just hope the book could help. Help as many kids. That's all I care about, helping as many kids and families as possible.
- [40:27]
Leslie
Well, you're doing that, and you're such an inspiration to me. I mean, you were to me. I just so enjoyed every minute of hearing you speak. I was like, I, you know. You know, I emailed you immediately, like, I've got to get you on the podcast to have you share your story, because it's just such an inspiration. I love hearing about how, you know, you've been so driven and you've had these. You've had these challenges. Right. Whether it's dyslexia or people being unwilling to accommodate. You know, you're very observant of your religion and not being able to accommodate that, or someone taking or disregarding your patent. All these things that have happened throughout your life, you just kind of kept going and focused on. On the positive and knowing that something else was going to reveal itself. Right.
- [41:08]
Tamir Goodman
Yeah.
- [41:08]
Leslie
I know you live in Israel now, and I was fortunate enough to meet your daughter, who is. I just thought it might be important for people to hear what it's like living in Israel right now and how that is for your family. And. Did you and your wife serve in the IDF when you were younger or many of your friends back serving, and what is it like today?
- [41:31]
Tamir Goodman
Yes, I served. Everybody has to serve in Israel. Everybody has to serve. My wife did national service. I served in the army. Our oldest daughter is right now in public diplomacy in the idf. I'm glad you got to meet her. And she basically works on public diplomacy very closely with America and other countries. Yeah, every. Basically everybody serves.
- [41:57]
Leslie
So, yeah, the whole country is, at least in my observation, is, you know, kind of coming together, but also kind of healing from their own trauma from what's happened in Israel over the past 18 months, correct?
- [42:12]
Tamir Goodman
Yeah. I don't think there's one family that doesn't know someone that's either been kidnapped or murdered there. There isn't. Everyone knows at least one person, our family personally, probably around, I would say maybe 10 to 15 deaths we personally know about and maybe like three of the kidnapped. But when you have a society that when you're 18, you're thinking about serving instead of just thinking about yourself, it creates a pretty dynamic place to live because everyone's thinking about service and sharing and giving and caring. I remember when Corona hit, like within hours, there was already like an app up to get the elderly the medicines delivered directly to their home. And people that like, it's just because you grow up in a place of caring, sharing, giving and serving instead of just feeding our own egos all the time. And I think maybe that's also the reason that Israel is such a world leader in entrepreneurship and startups, because we're thinking about how to better. We're always thinking about how to better the world and how to be there for each other. And I think, like, that's the creative energy of Israel. And that's why I think even yesterday there was like an exit for an Israeli company for $34 billion that that Google bought company called With. And it just comes from, I believe a lot of times from growing up in a community, basically a community. It's like, you know, my kids live, live how we lived in America maybe like 56 years ago. Meaning, like, you walk to school, you come home. If you have gymnastics, you walk to school by yourself, you come home, you play outside until it gets dark outside, you're involved with your friends. Barely anybody has their own swing set here. Everyone has to share the same parts. So you're always meeting other families and then you create a great community feel and of sharing, caring and giving instead of just, you know, staying in your own home. And it's much more interpersonal relationship too.
- [44:18]
Leslie
I was really struck, and I still am, by how the sort of mandatory service brings everyone together. And there is, you know, meaning that it doesn't matter your background or you're rich, you're poor, you're from the country, you're from the city, Everyone is serving together. And it sort of is, you know, you can kind of relate it to sort of the example of basketball. Right? You're all on the same team. And that idea of creating that team is really the impact of that ripples through your whole society. As you're saying, like, it really does build community and it builds a real sense of strength and commonality among Israeli people. Among all the other wonderful things about Israeli people and Israel.
- [45:02]
Tamir Goodman
Yeah, I think, like, the world was created for relationships. In Judaism, we say, like, God could have stayed alone, but God chose to come down to the world and, you know, give the Bible. And it's so that we could have an interaction and a friendship and a relationship with God. And that shows us the importance of, like the Torah says, like, it's not good for someone to be alone. It's the only time it says, I believe in the Bible, like Lotov. It's not good. It's not good for someone. We humans are meant to be in relationships with people and friendships. And it's such an incredible thing that, like, the ecosystem of the world how, like, in the same day, I could be waiting for someone to help me so much. I'm waiting for an email, I'm waiting for a call, whatever it is. And the same day, somebody. I'm doing that for somebody else in the same day, like, it's amazing how, like, someone's waiting, like, to hear from me that I was going to help them, but in the same day I'm waiting to hear from someone else that was going to help me. And it's just such a beautiful planet. It's such a beautiful garden, like this divine garden we live in and we meet people and we help each other and we're there for each other. And you see how, like, the puzzles come together. It's so, so beautiful. It's one of my favorite things in the world to see that.
- [46:13]
Leslie
Well, it needs. You need divine gardeners like you, Tamir, to create a divine garden. So, anyway, you are a real superstar both on and off the court, and I'm so grateful to you for taking the time to talk to me today and all my listeners. But I want to get just the title of your book out, and I'm sure we can get it on Amazon, right?
- [46:34]
Tamir Goodman
On Amazon. Yeah. I actually have it right here. I'm gonna show everybody, if that's okay.
- [46:42]
Leslie
Of course. Oh, my gosh.
- [46:44]
Tamir Goodman
Called Live youe Dream. Yeah, it's on Amazon. Live youe Dream.
- [46:50]
Leslie
Awesome. I am buying it for everybody that I know and for my kids, and it's just so great to see you. I really appreciate you, Tamir, taking the time, you know, come see us in.
- [47:01]
Tamir Goodman
The U.S. thank you. And warm regards and also to all the listeners. If there's anything I could ever do to help. If you feel like I could ever help you with anything. Please feel free to reach out. If it's basketball or anything else. Please love to be a part of your your journey as well.
- [47:18]
Leslie
Thank you Tamir. Have a great rest of your day. I'm going to get the anti mic. Where can we get The Nets or.
- [47:24]
Tamir Goodman
AvivSports.com yeah, we actually have version two coming out very soon so maybe I think it would be better to wait for the new one. But Aviv sports.com, the version two is going to be even better.
- [47:36]
Leslie
Awesome. I can't wait. I can't wait.
- [47:39]
Tamir Goodman
Thank you so much.
- [47:40]
Leslie
Oh thank you Tamir. Take care. This brings us to the end of this episode. I hope you enjoyed listening and learning from Tamir as much as I did recording this episode with Tamir. And Tamir, if you're listening, thank you so much for being on. If you like this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It really matters. I really appreciate it and I release a new episode every Wednesday. So until next Wednesday I'm signing off. This is Leslie and thank you for joining the interview.