Last Updated on July 28, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Miki Berkovich became one of Israeli basketball’s defining figures through his intelligent play, dependable scoring, and years of success with Maccabi Tel Aviv on the European stage. A respected leader for both club and country, he helped establish Israeli basketball as a genuine force in international competition while earning a lasting place among the nation’s greatest players.

Here’s a detailed profile of Miki Berkovich:

Player Profile

  • Full Name: Moshe “Miki” Berkovich
  • Nationality: Israeli
  • Age: Born February 17, 1954
  • Hometown: Kiryat Motzkin, Israel
  • Height: 6’4″ (1.93 m)
  • Weight: 190 lbs (86 kg)
  • Wingspan: 6’5″
  • Shoe Size: Size 13 (US)
  • Jersey Number: #9 (mostly during his career)
  • Position: Shooting Guard / Small Forward
  • High School: Not publicly known
  • College: Did not attend college in the U.S.; developed through the Israeli basketball system.
  • NBA Draft: Never drafted in the NBA but had the potential to play in the league; he chose to remain in Europe, primarily in Israel.
  • Teams Played For:
    • Maccabi Tel Aviv (1971–1988)
    • Racing Paris (1988–1989)
    • Hapoel Jerusalem (1989–1991)
    • Ironi Ramat Gan (1991–1995)
  • Championship Rings: No NBA championships, but widely celebrated for:
    • 2× EuroLeague Champion (1977, 1981 with Maccabi Tel Aviv)
    • Multiple Israeli League Championships and Cups
  • Children: He has two sons, Tal and Niv Berkovich, both of whom also played professional basketball.
  • Siblings: Not publicly known.

Player Archetype / Play Style

Miki Berkovich’s player archetype was a scoring shooting guard, a polished backcourt scorer who could carry offense, stretch defenses with his jumper, and still make smart decisions with the ball. Defensively, his role was to handle perimeter assignments with size and competitiveness rather than serve as a pure stopper, while offensively he was a featured scorer who attacked from the wing, shot confidently from the outside, and gave his teams a reliable primary option in big games. At 6-foot-4, Berkovich had strong size for a guard, and that frame, combined with his skill level and scoring instincts, helped him become one of the defining stars of Israeli and European basketball. The clearest play-style summary is that he was a poised, high-level shot-making guard whose game blended perimeter scoring, off-ball feel, and leadership, which is why his career résumé includes EuroLeague titles, a EuroBasket MVP, and eventual induction into the FIBA Hall of Fame. (FIBA)

Scouting Report

Miki Berkovich always looked most comfortable when the game became slightly chaotic. That’s where his creativity surfaced. He wasn’t the type to dribble the air out of the ball looking for a spectacular play; instead, he attacked gaps the moment a defence lost its shape, pushing the pace after rebounds, flowing into early pick-and-rolls and keeping defenders moving until someone made a mistake. What stands out is how naturally he blended scoring with playmaking. He’d turn the corner off a screen with enough intent to pull the low man toward him, then zip a pass to a cutter or weak-side shooter without needing to overcomplicate the read. If the defence stayed home, he had the balance to finish through traffic or stop suddenly for a controlled pull-up. His jumper wasn’t built on difficult off-the-dribble shot-making as much as excellent rhythm and preparation before the catch, which made him particularly dangerous relocating after giving the ball up. Defensively, he competed intelligently. He worked over screens, anticipated reversals instead of chasing steals and rotated early enough to discourage drives before they fully developed. Bigger, more physical guards could occasionally force him backwards when they sought direct contact, and against packed-in half-court defences he sometimes trusted ambitious passes that weren’t always there. The trade-off, though, came with the freedom that made him effective in the first place. Restrict that creativity and you lose much of what separates him from more conventional lead guards. Put him alongside wings who cut decisively and bigs capable of making quick decisions after the catch, and his passing becomes far more dangerous because he consistently creates advantages one rotation before the obvious opening appears. To me, there are shades of Šarūnas Marčiulionis in the way he attacked downhill with conviction, while some of his open-floor vision and willingness to move the ball early recalls Dražen Dalipagić. Berkovich’s game was built on feel more than structure, and that’s exactly why defences struggled to settle into a rhythm against him.

Sources:

Maccabi Tel Aviv — Former Player Miki Berkovich
FIBA — Mickey BERKOWITZ (ISR)
FIBA — 2017 Class of FIBA Hall of Fame: Mickey Berkowitz
Wikipedia — Miki Berkovich