The Maccabi Haifa basketball team was one of the original eight teams to form the Israeli top division in the 1953-54 season. The club reached 4 Israeli cup finals, in 2008/09 and in 2013/14 the team finished as runner-up. in 2012/13 the club won his first historical championship. Maccabi Haifa is one of the oldest basketball teams in Israel and is one of the original eight teams that formed the top division in 1953.[1] In 1971 and 1985, the club qualified for the State Cup finals losing to Maccabi Tel Aviv in both years. The club was relegated to the second division in 1993, and dropped into the third tier in 1995. They returned to the top tier, Ligat HaAl, in 1999. Despite their recent success, in 2000, Haifa mayor Amram Mitzna merged the club with Hapoel Haifa to form BC Haifa.[1] Although the club qualified for the playoffs twice, they began to experience financial difficulties. Upon relegation the club folded and sold its rights to Bnei HaSharon. In 2004 Maccabi Haifa officials changed the name of the second team under its control, Maccabi Bat Galim, to Maccabi Haifa in an effort to restore the club's glory days. From the 2005, new ownership by Jeff Rozen it has becomes to one of the most successful clubs in Israel.
