On Monday, Dec. 16, former basketball star Tamir Goodman, aka “The Jewish Jordan,” was in the New York area promoting his new children’s book, “Live Your Dream: The Story of a Jewish Basketball All-Star.” The dyslexic player writes of his many successes as player and coach, with a national release on Jan. 1, 2025.

Goodman explained, “I feel when kids have learning difficulties, it feels devastating and crushing. You just feel really sad and not good enough. Other people are moving forward and you’re not.” Goodman continued, “I struggled with that, and I still struggle, because my dyslexia is so strong. At the same time, dyslexia gave me so much confidence on the basketball court. I can see things that other people couldn’t see; my intuition, my reaction.

“Basic basketball is 90% confidence. I would go on the court confident that I was dyslexic, my special power. I want to empower kids, especially kids with learning difficulties. Let them know there is a challenge in having learning difficulties, but there are also hidden blessings in it. It’s our job in life to take those hidden blessings and use them to reach our potential. I’m so thankful to PJ Library for helping me bring this to life and hopefully inspire thousands of kids.”

The book is about Goodman’s life. “It’s about balancing, on the one hand, trying to become a professional basketball player and at the same time, the difficulties of everything that comes with not being able to read the scoreboard properly. Are we winning? Are we losing? How many points are we up by or down by? You know, if you want to play basketball, you have to pass your SATs. That was a huge struggle for me.”

Reflecting on his collaboration with PJ Library, “We’ve been working on it for years. I couldn’t have done it without them. They did such an incredible job. I feel like it’s such a small book, but the reader should hopefully walk away so empowered, so infused with a lot of really good values that I think will hopefully help them in their lives.”

Many remember his early career. Goodman was ranked the 25th best high school player in the country and averaged over 35 points per game his junior year while maintaining his Orthodox upbringing. Goodman was named MVP of the prestigious “Capital Classic All-Star Game.” Previous winners include Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James. Goodman was the first Jewish basketball player to play Division I college and professional basketball without playing on Shabbat.

He was offered a full scholarship to #1-ranked University of Maryland, but he chose to play for Towson University. He found their schedule presented fewer religious conflicts. At Towson, he was a freshman starter, which is very rare. He earned the Coach’s Award for his performance on the court and in the classroom.

Goodman offered advice to other Jewish students hoping to play for a Division I school. “You need to be resilient. You need to take care of your mind, body and soul, practice hard, put yourself around really positive people that believe in you, have a great schedule, and play for a higher purpose; attach the physical to something spiritual.” Goodman continued, “spend a lot of time with your family, invest in relationships and surround yourself with good coaches.”

He moved to Israel in 2002 after joining Maccabi Tel Aviv, one of the best teams in the Israeli and European leagues. Former NBA coach David Blatt was the team’s coach at the time. In 2004, Goodman paused his basketball career to serve in Tzahal, earning their Most Outstanding Soldier award. He retired as a professional player in 2009.

Partnering with Israeli NBA player Omri Casspi, he has coached thousands of children. As seen on tamirgoodman.com, his Zone190 is a training device used in the NBA. He even designed Sport Strings Tzitzit. He previously authored “The Jewish Jordan’s Triple Threat.” Goodman has combined his education and experience as a motivational speaker and a sports/business consultant.

Goodman, his wife, and five children live in Jerusalem where he runs a summer basketball camp for players from around the world. He also leads sports-based programs and trips for schools and organizations, basketball clinics and special chesed projects.

Judy Berger is The Jewish Link Bronx, Westchester and Connecticut community editor.