Basketball coach and former player Lior Liubin passed away today (Monday) after a battle with cancer.
The 46-year-old Liubin left the coaching job at Hapoel Beer Sheva two months ago as part of his struggle, but the deterioration in his condition was rapid and today the struggle is over.
A respected and loved basketball player succumbed to cancer.
The late Liubin/Dani Maron
Liubin, 46, burst into the limelight through the High School Super League where he led Blich High School to the state championship and third place in the world championship.
In the 1994/5 season he started playing for Maccabi Ramat Gan seniors, but after not getting too many opportunities, he moved to Maccabi Petah Tikva from the national team where he played for two years.
Throughout his time in Petah Tikva, rumors about Liubin's ability flourished.
In the summer of 1997 he returned to Ramat Gan, again he was not a factor, but in the 1998/9 season he already broke out, becoming the discovery of the season in the league and recording 10 points per game, leading Ramat Gan two years in a row to the semi-finals of the playoffs and achievements in Europe as well.
His term in Ramat Gan ended in the 2001/2 season, before which he played for the first time in the uniform of the Israeli national team in EuroBasket, and together with an exciting team coached by Erez Edelstein, the team reached the playoff final.
He also served as a coach for Maccabi Tel Aviv for a short time.
Liubin/Yossi Tsipkis
In the summer of 2002, Liubin moved as a promise to Maccabi Tel Aviv, but although he was a partner in winning the double, he was not a central enough part and at the end of the season he surprisingly moved to the city rival Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Bahpoel was part of a team that threatened to end the hegemony of the city rival, but the Reds ended the season with a loss in the playoff final, and the semi-final of the Europa League, with Livin one of the team's stars.
At the end of the season, Hapoel was liquidated from its assets and Luvin went to Europe for the first time.
Liubin played a year and a half in the Ukrainian Mariupol, half a season in the Greek Apollon Petras, and he started the 2006/7 season in the Bulgarian CSKA Sofia, but a herniated disc ended the season for him. Attempts to make a comeback in the following two years were unsuccessful, and he retired from active play. Liubin scored 1,367 Points in the Premier League and in the Israeli national team scored 170 points in 30 appearances.
Won with the championship catch.
Liubin/Kubi Eliyahu
In the summer of 2008, Yovin joined Haim Ohion's project in Gilboa/Galil as Oded Ketch's assistant.
In the second season as Ketch's assistant, the duo won the national championship, after an unforgettable victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv in the final, and at the end of the season Liubin replaced Ketch who went on to Hapoel Jerusalem.
In his first season on the lines, he played in the Euroleague qualifiers and finished with the team in second place in the table.
He coached Gilboa for three seasons and won twice with them in the Balkan League.
In the summer of 2013 he replaced Dan Shamir at Hapoel Holon, but towards the end of the season he resigned, when the team was in the middle of the table and was replaced by his assistant.
At the beginning of the 2014/15 season he was appointed coach of Maccabi Ashdod, and in the middle of the season he was fired and replaced by Zvika Sharaf.
Liubin sat without a team for a year and a half, before Erez Edelstein, who took him to the Israeli national team as an assistant coach, added him as an assistant to Maccabi Tel Aviv.
During that season he coached Maccabi Tel Aviv for several games between the dismissal of Rami Hadar and the appointment of Einers Bagatskis.
Liubin served as an assistant at Maccabi until the end of that season.
An injury cut short his successful career.
Liubin in the Israel national team/Barney Ardov
After two more years out of office, he returned to Gilboa/Galil, and led it to the Final Four at the end of that season.
After a dizzying start to the 2020/21 season, he left the Gilboa to team up with Ketch a second time, this time in Panathinaikos, but after only half a season the two ended their journey.
Liubin soon returned to the Premier League and was appointed the city coach of Nes Ziona in the summer of 2021, finished with the team in tenth place, and moved to Hapoel Beer Sheva at the beginning of the 2022/23 season.
He took the team to the quarterfinals of the playoffs and another win in the Balkan League.
As mentioned, about two months ago he informed the management of Hapoel Be'er Sheva that he had to leave his position because of his personal situation.
Today we succumbed to the disease.
Liubin was married to Raz Shapira, formerly Sderit Qim on the sports channel and a TV presenter.
The couple has three children.
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Lior Liubin