On the first night of the NBA draft on June 25, the most surprising team was undoubtedly the Brooklyn Nets. They had five first-round picks—and, for the first time in NBA history, kept all of them. They picked Egor Demin earlier than anyone would have predicted. And they used two of their picks—back-to-back at numbers 26 and 27—on this year's only Jewish prospects, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf.

Saraf, an Israeli guard, is a skilled passer and playmaker who just took his German team to the finals of Germany's national league; Wolf, an American who has played for Israel's national team, brings a seven-foot frame, excellent court vision and smart footwork. Both will vie for permanent roster spots in Brooklyn's young core, making their Summer League debuts this week.

To learn more about who these players are and how they fit into Brooklyn's future plans, the Menschwarmers invited on Nick Agar-Johnson, the editor-in-chief of No Ceilings, a website, Substack and podcast that specialize in year-round NBA draft coverage.

Credits

• Hosts: James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver
• Producer: Michael Fraiman
• Music: Coby Lipovitch (intro), chēēZ π (main theme, "Organ Grinder Swing")

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In March 2025, Josh Goldenberg had all but given up his dreams of playing professional golf. Using his finance degree from the University of Pennsylvania, he took a job at Goldman Sachs. But when he saw an opening to play in a qualifying tournament for the RBC Canadian Open, he signed up and flew up north on a Sunday—so he wouldn't have to take work off—and ended up earning a spot on his first PGA Tour. Goldenberg shares his remarkable story on this week's Menschwarmers, along with his thoughts on being a proudly Jewish player and how he carries that through his life.

Also in this episode: Gabe recounts how Robert Shwartzman fell as quickly as he rose in his recent F1 race, and the hosts pay homage to Zach Hyman, who won't play in the Stanley Cup Finals due to injuries—despite the Edmonton Oilers remaining both the most Canadian and most Jewish team to root for this year.

Credits

• Hosts: James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver
• Producer: Michael Fraiman
• Music: Coby Lipovitch (intro), chēēZ π (main theme, "Organ Grinder Swing")

Support The CJN

• Follow the podcast on Twitter @menschwarmers
• Subscribe to The CJN newsletter
• Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt)
• Subscribe to Menschwarmers (Not sure how? Click here)

Jewish racing fans were thrilled to see rookie Robert Shwartzman win what's called "pole position"—the starting spot, ahead of all other racers—at this week's forthcoming Indy 500 competition. The surprise victory vaults Shwartzman into rare company as one of the only rookies to earn the feat, and sets him up to possibly become the first Jewish winner of the famous race since the 1940s. It's major international news—and podcast host Gabe Pulver knows the sport well enough to explain it all to you on this week's Menschwarmers.

Also in this episode, we've got two other big stories out of Indiana. First, the hosts recap the legacy of former Indianapolis Colts owner and general manager Jim Irsay, whose father was Jewish and who passed away just hours before our recording. Later on, they discuss the competitor team to the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals: the New York Knicks, the most Jewish-seeming team remaining in the NBA playoffs, and certainly the one with the loudest Jewish fanbase. (We're looking at you, Timothée Chalamet.)

Credits

• Hosts: James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver
• Producer: Michael Fraiman
• Music: Coby Lipovitch (intro), chēēZ π (main theme, "Organ Grinder Swing")

Support The CJN

• Follow the podcast on Twitter @menschwarmers
• Subscribe to The CJN newsletter
• Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt)
• Subscribe to Menschwarmers (Not sure how? Click here)