The Boston Celtics used the No. 47 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft on guard Yam Madar, and six years later his path has taken a sharp turn away from college basketball in the United States.
LSU head coach Will Wade had been trying to bring Madar to Baton Rouge, but that plan is off the table. Insider Jeff Goodman reported that Madar will not be heading to LSU, and in a follow-up post on X, Goodman wrote:
Never ever say never with Slick Rick Stansbury on staff, but indications are Israeli 25-year-old Yam Madar will remain in Israel despite a lucrative offer to play for Will Wade at LSU.
Would have been a tough one to get eligible - even for SLICK. Turns 26 in December, played in…
Madar’s NBA draft status did not automatically shut the door on college eligibility, though. Goodman pointed to recent precedent, noting that the Knicks’ former second-round pick James Nnaji was allowed to play for Baylor last season and is now at George Mason.
Still, Madar’s pro résumé appears to have made this a difficult case. He most recently played for Hapoel Tel Aviv, an Israeli club in the top-tier EuroLeague, and his career has also included stops with Bayern Munich in Germany, Fenerbahce in Turkey and Partizan in Belgrade.
His numbers with Hapoel Tel Aviv in EuroLeague play in 2025-26 were modest, as he averaged 3.2 points and 1.4 assists per game. In Israeli league action, though, he saw a much bigger role and posted 13.2 points and 4.0 assists per game.
For now, Madar remains outside the NCAA picture, and the former Celtics draft pick will stay in Israel rather than join LSU.
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