(Photo By: USTA/Courtesy)
By: Josh Aronson/Maariv - March 23, 2021
Amit Vigoda, 18, from Omar, starred in the US College Wheelchair Basketball Championship. Vigoda, who lost his leg when he was 11, was chosen as MVP (Outstanding Player) in the tournament after he scored 24 points in the finals against an Alabama college. In the semi-finals, the Israeli teen scored 30 points, half the points of his team.
Vigoda's leg was amputated after he was born with a rare disease, but that didn't stop him from playing for ILAN Spivak Ramat Gan and Israel's team. Six months ago, he was signed by a Texas team.
"This was one of the most challenging years of my life in all respects," Vigoda said. "To move to a strange county, with a different language and new team, and learn how to be responsible and independent.
"My team and I brought everything we had to the court from the start of the season, and like they say, hard work pays off," he said. "In the finals, we played together without an ego, we worked one for the other, and that's earned us the win and the ability to bring the championship back to UTA after three years."
Read More: Jerusalem Post