Ido Mossinson spoke with Basketball Sphere about his career, Hapoel Tel Aviv, as well as his plans and ambitions.
Born on November 16, 2009, 16-year-old Ido Mossinson (195 cm) is a guard who has progressed through the entire youth academy of Hapoel Tel Aviv.
In the 2025/26 season, he has joined the club’s main U18 team and made a strong impression in the prestigious EuroLeague Next Generation Tournament in Belgrade, averaging 12.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game across four matches while playing 24.8 minutes per contest.
As one of the most promising young guards in Hapoel Tel Aviv’s respected academy system, Mossinson is steadily working toward his goal of earning minutes with the senior team in the Israeli league.
Beginnings…
Having grown up in the Hapoel Tel Aviv youth system, he looked back on how he first got into basketball and what sparked his love for the game.
,,I was always playing with a ball: basketball, soccer, volleyball, since I could remember myself. My father (Gili Mossinson), who is a former pro basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv and also played in the EuroCup competition, gave me the inspiration and the love. Just seeing how, even after retirement and playing in amateur leagues, he is still passionate and excited before games, even at his age, is beautiful to me.
I played for the school of Hapoel Tel Aviv at ages 6–8 (where I learned the fundamentals of basketball), but then I quit and played soccer in a club called Bnei Yehuda until 2 years ago, from ages 8–14.5, and also volleyball in an amateur league.
My love for soccer was always much less than basketball, but at a younger age I didn’t find basketball as fun to play, maybe because I had a growth spurt when I was about 14; 175–185 cm in one summer.
At 14, I was shooting around during a timeout at my twin brother’s game when the General Manager, who is also my coach right now (Itay Jerushalmi), asked me if I wanted to come play basketball for Hapoel Tel Aviv U15 second team.
I said yes because the love for basketball was always there, but I was scared of what people would think of me for switching sports at such a late age, and what if I made the move and found out I wasn’t good enough.
So I started playing for the U15 second team as a center, averaging around 4–5 points. I think I also fell in love with the game because it’s so simple on paper, but has so many options and reads, defensively and offensively” – Ido Mossinson said.
Having come through the entire Hapoel Tel Aviv academy, he spoke about what it means to wear the red-and-white jersey and represent the club at the U18 level.
,,It means a lot. Representing the club at the highest youth level is a great honour and a dream of mine. I’m not taking this for granted and am appreciating and enjoying every single minute.”
Following his performances at the ANGT in Belgrade, where Ido Mossinson averaged 12.8 points, 2.8 assists, and 1.8 steals across four games, he shared his overall impression of the tournament and how the level of competition compared to what he usually faces in Israel.
,,My overall impression of the tournament is that it’s very professional: the staff, hotel, basketball courts, balls, it really gives a taste of pro basketball. The competition, in comparison to Israel, is much higher; the players are bigger, stronger, faster, which definitely made me adjust my game compared to how I play in Israel, so mostly the size, but also more technical and skilled.”
During the ANGT in Belgrade, where he delivered several strong performances, including 16-point outings against FMP Belgrade and Maccabi Tel Aviv U18, he discussed which game felt the most complete for him personally and why.
,,The game that felt the most complete to me is the game against Maccabi, because I had 7 assists, 4 steals, and 3 rebounds. In my opinion, I was very focused on contributing to what the team needs and not just scoring the ball, and that helped me play a balanced game on defense and offense.”
A guard capable of scoring, creating for others, and generating steals, Mossinson highlighted the specific area of his game he has worked on the most this season.
,,I’ve worked very hard on pick-and-roll reads and 1-on-1 situations with the Hapoel Tel Aviv individual development coach. This was a goal of mine, to do more pick and roll and play as a guard. All year I’ve been working on my handles, pick-and-roll reads, and 1-on-1 reads, and I’m glad that I added that aspect to my game. I think it’s very important.”
At just 16, already playing a key role for Hapoel’s U18 team in European competitions, he spoke about how he balances school, training, and still finding time to enjoy a normal teenage life.
,,Well, firstly, I have an amazing mom who helps me with what she can, which means saving me time where she can help, doing my laundry, making me food for the entire day. So that saves me time.
Secondly, even though I practice a lot, I find time to meet friends and family and spend time with them, because I think that it’s the most important thing and a key point to success, to learn how to balance between your passion and friends and family.
Sometimes I have to make sacrifices, like not partying or going to social events, but I know it’s going towards a goal, so I don’t feel like I’m missing out.”
Known for his basketball IQ and competitiveness, he shared the piece of advice from a coach that has had the biggest impact on him this season.
,,First of all, my coach just giving me the opportunity and confidence to play is the best way to support and help me. That’s something he’s doing on a regular basis, reassuring me and saying he believes in me and trusts me with his eyes closed.
And the best advice I got was from him. I struggled with passiveness at the start of the season, and in the middle of one game, when I got subbed out, he told me: “When you’re open, shoot the ball, maybe you’ll, by mistake, make it.”
And that really simplified things and lowered my stress levels, because at the end of the day I love this game, but it’s just a game. If I’m open, I should shoot, what’s the worst thing that could happen?”
As part of a club with a rich history in Israeli basketball, Ido Mossinson spoke about how much that tradition motivates him every time he steps on the court.
,,Hapoel Tel Aviv is a club known for its loyal fans and passion and energy, a club that fights with character, and I think the tradition and what the club represents give me motivation and inspiration to fight every single minute I’m on the court, even when I’m tired, even when things aren’t going my way, because that’s how the club is fight until the end no matter what.”
Between U18 games in Israel, ANGT commitments, and everyday life in Tel Aviv, he described what a typical training week looks like for him at this stage.
,,Because of the war in Israel, we had a break from basketball for one and a half months, so right now we have a lot of games and the playoffs are right by, so the practice load is less rather than in the preseason or midseason.
We usually have afternoon team practices every day except game days, and on game days we do shootaround in the morning, and three days a week also personal skill training with our coach around noon/morning before practice.
And also gym 3–4 days a week before practice.”
Looking back on the 2025/26 season so far, highlighted by his performances at the ANGT in Belgrade, he outlined the most important lesson he has learned about himself as a player and what excites him most about the rest of the season and the years ahead.
,,I learned about myself and about basketball players in general that your mindset, routine, and confidence are everything, you can beat a guy if you keep trying. I learned what value I bring to the game as a player: my game IQ, playmaking, energy.
And I’m most excited for the playoffs and the cup final and what will happen there, and for the years to come I don’t know, nobody knows what will happen. What I can do is stay in the present and take this big challenge called being a basketball player one day at a time.”
They'll compete in Athens
— EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) April 14, 2026
2025-26 adidas NextGen EuroLeague Finals teams announced 🏆#NextGenEuroLeague pic.twitter.com/byUY6XWawx
