Israeli-American basketball star Emanuel Sharp, son of Maccabi Tel-Aviv basketball legend Derrick Sharp, was drafted to the NBA on Thursday with the 45th pick by the Sacramento Kings.
Emanuel was born and raised in Israel until age nine, when he moved back to the United States.
While Emanuel’s father, Derrick, is well-known for his legendary career, his mother, Justine Ellison Sharp, was also a standout lesser-known hooper in Canada. Justine played basketball for the University of Toronto and led the team to two national silver medals and was named the women’s university athlete of the year in her senior season (1995–96).
In 2019, Emanuel suited up for Israel’s U16 basketball team for the FIBA U16 European championship at the age of 15, where he would average 25 points per game.
Overcoming the adversity of a devastating leg injury late in his high school career, Emanuel would move on to the elite Division I college level and play for the University of Houston Cougars. As a senior, he averaged 15.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, according to NBA.com.
Sharp’s decorated career at Houston includes 2025-26 All-Big 12 First Team and All-Defensive Team selection as a senior, setting the school record for career three-pointers (309), and as a junior was named Most Outstanding Player of the Big 12 Tournament and NCAA Midwest Regional (2005).
Emanuel’s most impressive performance was as a junior in the 2025 final four game against the Duke University Blue Devils. Finishing the game with 16 points, on 3-of-7 shooting from 3-point range, Emanuel was instrumental in the Cougars ‘ late-game comeback, scoring nine of his points in the final minutes, which put the Cougars in the NCAA national championship game.
Standing 6’-3” inches tall, NBA Draft analysis says Sharp is considered a high-IQ player with a solid three-point shot, great off-the-ball skills, takes care of the basketball with limited turnovers, and is a great defender. Sharp is projected to be a “3-and-D” guard who spaces the floor, competes on the defensive end, and makes winning plays within the flow of an offense.” Scouts compare his game to the likes of Tim Hardaway Jr., someone who can carve out early minutes with his command of the game, toughness, and effort to grow into a reliable player on the floor.
The Kings drafted Omri Casspi, 23rd overall in the 2009 NBA Draft, making him the first Israeli to be selected in the first round.
There are currently four Israeli players playing in the NBA: All-Star Deni Avdija, Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf, and now, Emanuel Sharp.
