| JJ Kaplan ג'יי ג'יי קפלן | |
| Number: | 25 |
| Team: | Ironi Kiryat Ata |
| Position: | Guard |
| League: | Israeli Basketball Premier League |
| Birth Place: | Huntsville, Alabama, United States |
| Nationality: | American-Israeli |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 5 |
| Weight Lb: | 210 |
| High School: | Virgil I. Grissom High School (Huntsville, Alabama) |
| College: | University of Alabama in Huntsville |
| Career Start: | 2021 |
| Years1: | 2021–present |
| Team1: | Ironi Kiryat Ata |
| Highlights: |
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Kaplan was born and grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, is Jewish, and had a bar mitzvah and keeps kosher.[2] [1] [3] [4] He is 6'5" (196 cm) tall, and weighs 210 pounds (95 kg).[5]
He attended Virgil I. Grissom High School ('17) in Huntsville, Alabama.[5] Playing basketball for the Tigers in his junior season, Kaplan was named to the all-area team and the all-area tournament team.[6] [3] In his senior season, he averaged 16 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists per game, was named to the all-area and all-state teams, and was named to the all-area tournament team.[3] As a teenager, he also played in Maccabi Games in Germany with Team USA.[2] [7]
Kaplan attended and played basketball for the Chargers at the University of Alabama in Huntsville ('21), as he double-majored in Economics and Finance.[8] [9] In 2017–18, he averaged 3.2 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.[3]
In 2018–19, Kaplan averaged 13.7 points and 8.6 rebounds (2nd in the Gulf South Conference (GSC)) per game, and was 2nd in the conference in field goal percentage (52.8%), and was 21st in the nation with 281 rebounds.[3] [4] He was named Jewish Sports Review All-American, Second Team All-Gulf South Conference, Gulf South All-Tournament Team, College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District, GSC All-Academic Team, and GSC Academic Honor Roll.[3] [8] [6]
In 2019–20, he averaged 11.6 points and 9.1 rebounds (2nd in the GSC) per game, and led the GSC and was 21st in the nation in total rebounds (282).[3] Kaplan was named Jewish Sports Review All-American, Second Team All-Gulf South Conference, GSC Tournament Most Outstanding Player, GSC All-Tournament Team, CoSIDA Academic All-District, and GSC Academic Honor Roll.[3] [6]
In 2020–21, despite a shin injury, Kaplan averaged 11.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.[3] [4] He was named First Team All-Gulf South Conference in 2021.[8] Career-wise, he had the fourth-most rebounds and ninth-most rebounds-per-game in school history.[10]
On June 27, 2021, after living his entire life in Huntsville, Kaplan signed with Ironi Kiryat Ata.[7] [5] [11] He said: "It has been a dream of mine to play basketball in Israel since I was in high school, and now I am happy to announce that the dream has come true."[10] That season, he and the team won a National League championship.[11]
On November 19, 2022, Kaplan again signed with Ironi Kiryat Ata, in the Israeli Basketball Premier League.[8]