Mike Carter

Michael Timothy Carter was born on July 20, 1955, in Eagle Rock, a neighbourhood of Los Angeles, California. His mother was Rose "Sue" Carter (nee Niedospal, 1922 to 2014). Hebrew Wikipedia notes that he was raised in a Catholic family and that he lost one of his kidneys when he was young. He grew to 6 ft 8 in and played basketball for Eagle Rock High School, appearing in the school's 1973 yearbook.

Carter attended Eagle Rock High School in Los Angeles and then Drury College (now Drury University) in Springfield, Missouri, where he studied physical education and graduated in the class of 1979. He joined the Drury Panthers in 1977. In 1979 Drury won the NAIA national tournament, and Carter received the tournament's Charles Stevenson Hustle Award. Hebrew sources record that he averaged 8.2 rebounds a game that season and 14.2 points a game during the tournament.

Carter's professional career lasted about 17 years and took him to Argentina, the Philippines, Portugal, France, the American CBA and, above all, Israel. With Sporting CP of Lisbon he won the Portuguese league title in 1982. Coach Arie Malinyak spotted him at a tournament in Los Angeles and brought him to Hapoel Holon for 1982-83, where he was the only foreign player and averaged 19.4 points a game as Holon reached the playoff semifinals against Maccabi Tel Aviv. After marrying an Israeli he was naturalised and played a second Holon season in 1983-84.

He played for Hapoel Kiryat Gat in 1984-85, then spent time abroad before returning with Maccabi Netanya (1987-88) and Hapoel Jerusalem (1988-89). With Maccabi Ramat Gan (1989 to 1992), alongside Earl Williams and Kenny Simpson, he won the 1989-90 League Cup. He finished his career back at Hapoel Holon from 1992 to 1995, retiring at about 40. Across 11 seasons in the Israeli top division he scored about 2,433 regular-season points, with a high of 31 points in a game in 1982-83 and 13 rebounds in a game in 1992-93.

After retiring Carter settled in Las Vegas. In a 2005 ynet interview he said he had worked at the Caesars Palace casino since retiring, looking after customers on the overnight shift, and spent the rest of his day coaching school basketball teams. He coached his sons' middle school team and assisted with the girls' team at Bishop Gorman High School, and English Wikipedia records that he worked security and coached at Bishop Gorman for 21 years. In March 2026 he posted that Bishop Gorman had held a night marking 30 years with its basketball programme. In 2013 he was assistant coach to Brad Greenberg for the United States men's team at the Maccabiah Games in Israel, a team that won gold.

Carter's first marriage, to an Israeli woman, allowed him to become a naturalised Israeli; Hebrew Wikipedia says that marriage ended in divorce. He later married Hadar, also Israeli. Their two sons, Ben and Timothy, were born in Israel. Ben Carter played college basketball at Oregon, UNLV and Michigan State and professionally in Israel with Hapoel Jerusalem and Hapoel Eilat, and was called up to the Israel national team in 2020. In 2025 Carter posted a birthday message to a granddaughter, Sofia, signing it as her "Saba", the Hebrew word for grandfather.

Carter spoke often about his attachment to Israel and to the community of foreign players who had played there. In 2005 he told ynet that the friendships formed among foreign players in Israel were very strong because they had to look after one another, and that he used to host and cook for other players. In 2013 he said that Holon was "where my heart is" and that he wanted his sons to see where they were born and to reconnect with their Israeli family. He regularly attended reunions of former foreign players, including the Holyland Hoopers weekend he mentioned in 2024.

Hapoel Holon retired Carter's number 13 jersey in 1996, and the club called him a Holon legend and a purple symbol after his death. The Winner League said he had kept close ties with Israel and Israeli basketball after retiring and that his Las Vegas home had become a place of pilgrimage. Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan described him as one of the prominent names in Israeli basketball. His son Ben followed him into the Israeli league and the national team, and he spent decades coaching young players in Las Vegas.

NAIA national champion with Drury (1979). Charles Stevenson Hustle Award, NAIA tournament (1979). Portuguese league champion with Sporting CP (1982). Israeli League Cup winner with Maccabi Ramat Gan (1989-90). Number 13 jersey retired by Hapoel Holon (1996). Drury Panthers Athletics Hall of Fame (2008). Maccabiah Games gold medal as assistant coach of the United States men's team (2013).

Israeli fans gave Carter the nickname "Meshugah" (crazy) because of the emotion he brought to every moment on the floor, and Drury records his nicknames as "Jolly" and "Meshugah". Israeli sports news covered his return to Israel for the 2013 Maccabiah, and in 2025 the Israeli league featured him in its Double Up interview series about foreign players of the past. On X he posted as @CoachBigMike13.

Mike Carter died on November 7, 2026, at the age of 71. According to ynet and Hapoel Holon, he had undergone a relatively simple medical procedure a few days earlier, and complications led to multiple organ failure. The place of death was not stated in the reports reviewed. Tributes came from Hapoel Holon, Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan, the Winner League and Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar, and his family described him as a beloved husband, father, grandfather, mentor and friend.