Tal Brody grew up in Trenton, New Jersey, and was a scholastic basketball star, named to the Newark Star-Ledger All-state team as a senior, before choosing The University of Illinois as his college of choice. He want on to star for the basketball team there as well, and was eventually drafted by the then-Baltimore Bullets of the NBA in 1965. He was headed for a pro basketball career in the world’s best league.

Instead, he decided to play in Israel for a year, and that began an incredible journey that is still unfolding today.

This was an amazing interview, filled with great stories, an incredible life-decision and, more than anything else, a beautiful illustration of what a positive outlook can do for a person … and for the nation of Israel.

I sat with Tal in his apartment last week, and we talked about all of these things, and lots of others. And yes, I just had to get his thoughts on today’s NBA, too, even though it has nothing to do with Aliyah.