The basketball team of Ebda’ Sports Club in Dheisheh Camp is considered one of the most prominent sporting experiences in the history of the Ebda’ Association, and one of the teams that left a clear mark on the course of Palestinian basketball. The team grew out of the Association’s vision of the importance of sport as a space for building young people’s capacities, strengthening the spirit of belonging and teamwork, and turning sport into a tool for social development and the empowerment of the camp’s residents.
Since its founding, the Ebda’ team worked to build a sporting system based on regular training and the development of players’ skills. Over the years, it managed to transform from a community team into one of the teams competing at the national level in Palestine, establishing its presence among Palestinian basketball clubs. The team represented an important model of how youthful energy in the refugee camps could be turned into genuine sporting achievements.
The Ebda’ basketball team achieved many historic accomplishments, most notably being crowned champion of the West Bank Basketball Cup in 2005, after winning the final match against De La Salle Jerusalem — an achievement that placed the team among the leading clubs in the Palestinian game. The team also succeeded in achieving the historic double by winning both the Palestinian League championship and the Cup championship, becoming one of the few teams to combine both titles over the course of its competitive history.
The team maintained its strong presence in the following years, winning the Jawwal Basketball Cup for the fifth time in its history in 2022, in addition to winning several titles in the Palestinian Basketball League, further reinforcing its standing as one of the most established and influential teams in the history of the sport in Palestine.
The IBDA’A team’s journey was not built on championships alone; it was also built on developing a generation of players, some of whom went on to become part of the Palestinian sporting scene. The team nurtured many local talents and opened the way for young players to develop, compete, and reach advanced levels. It also contributed to strengthening basketball culture within Dheisheh Camp and the local community, turning the court into a space for learning, discipline, and ambition.
A number of coaches took turns training and leading the team, contributing to the development of its technical level and the building of its competitive character. Among the most notable names associated with the team was Coach Adel Al-Samri, who led the team during one of its most important stages of achievement, in addition to other coaches who contributed to the development of the club’s sports teams.
The team’s name was also associated with a number of players who left their mark on its sporting journey. Over its various stages it included distinguished players such as Yahya Al-Khatib, Assem Barakat, Nader Abu Youssef, Iyad Abdullah, Munir Barakat, and Kamal Al-Azraq, names that were among those associated with the team’s West Bank Cup title in 2005.
The IBDA’A basketball team was more than just a sports team; it was a space for the camp’s residents to build their dreams, and a platform proving that sport is capable of creating new opportunities for young people despite difficult circumstances and challenges. Today, the team remains an essential part of the archive and memory of the Ebda’ Association, and a witness to a golden era in the history of Palestinian sport, and to the role the Association played in supporting sporting talent and strengthening young people’s presence in society.
