After a brief and frustrating stint in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) in the United States, Abby Meyers has not abandoned her dream of bouncing back to the top of the game.
In the meantime, the Jewish basketball standout enjoyed the season of a lifetime in Israel over the past year—winning titles, earning MVP honors and debuting with the Israeli national team—while deepening her connection to the Jewish state.
Now 26, Meyers’s athletic gifts were apparent from an early age. Her grandmother, Phyllis Meyers, recalls noticing it almost immediately.
“From the time she could walk, she was running, jumping, climbing and the rest of it. She was very active, and I remember that we had a carer who said Abby should go to a school for athletes.”
High school and college success
Growing up, wherever there was a ball, Meyers was rarely far away. At Walt Whitman High School in Maryland, she became the centerpiece of the basketball team, leading it to a state championship and another title-game appearance.
Her success followed her to Princeton University, where she led the Tigers to their first Ivy League tournament championship. A few years later, she was named Ivy League Player of the Year while completing a bachelor’s degree in public policy and international affairs.
Granted an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19, Meyers transferred to the University of Maryland, helping the Terrapins reach the Elite Eight for the first time in seven years.
Her achievements piled up, as did her trophies. “I don’t know where to put them all,” she told JNS in a recent interview.
Meyers has two sisters: Olivia, her twin, and Emily, who is older. Olivia remembers growing up in Abby’s shadow.
“When I grew up, Abby and I played on the same teams, of which she was always the star player, and we never lost. Then once I started playing on teams without her and got to experience the feeling of losing, it was clear the difference was Abby!”
WNBA draft and disappointment
Meyers’s elite status was confirmed when she was selected 11th overall in the first round of the 2023 WNBA Draft by the Dallas Wings.
“When she was drafted in the first round of the WNBA, we were so excited and so shocked and figured she would be in the league for years,” Olivia Meyers said.
Instead, limited playing time followed. Meyers was waived by Dallas and later signed to a seven-day hardship contract with the Washington Mystics, where she saw the court only briefly. After averaging around 30 minutes per game in her final two college seasons, she played just about four minutes per game in the WNBA.
“It was really cool to be surrounded by superstars, playing with and against them. I was privileged to step through a door that not many get to and live the dream, but there is definitely unfinished business there,” she recalled.
International success
Meyers’s passion for the game did not wane. She joined the London Lions, helping the team win both the British Championship and the EuroCup—becoming the first English club to capture the title.
Then came Israel. Meyers signed with Maccabi Bnot Ashdod, a move that felt natural. She had previously visited Israel in 2022 after captaining Team USA to gold at the Maccabiah Games.
This time, she was living in the country during wartime following the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Her American grandmother was concerned, but Meyers reassured her.
“I worried about her safety, but she knows how to take care of herself,” her grandmother told JNS. “I just wish my husband were around to see her not only play basketball, but do so in Israel. He would be so proud.”
Coming home
On the court, Meyers delivered. She helped Ashdod win both the Israeli Premier League title and the State Cup and was named league MVP.
Off the court, something deeper took shape. Living in Israel during wartime, she said she found community, meaning and belonging.
“I travelled all over the country and never got bored. It strengthened my relationship and connection to Judaism and Israel to a degree that I wasn’t expecting,” Meyers told JNS. “With the incredible food, lifestyle and vibe, I fell in love with the country and the people, and I now carry my Jewish identity much more proudly than I did before. It was such an enriching and fulfilling experience.”
The Ashdod community embraced her, she said. “I felt a true sense of love and appreciation from the Ashdod community that I’ve never forgotten. I wasn’t just liked for being a basketballer but for being a Jewish American, and that felt very special. It was so nice to feel a part of their community, and it made me appreciate the game even more. To feel surrounded by Jewish people was a sensation that wasn’t typical for me, but it was so comforting.”
One playoff moment encapsulated her season. In a win-or-go-home semifinal, Ashdod trailed by one with two seconds left. After a missed free throw, Meyers reacted instinctively.
“I instinctively got the rebound, flung myself around and shot the ball all in a moment.”
The basket fell. Meyers hit the floor in pain, having scored 20 points that night. Ashdod advanced—and her legend grew.
National team debut
When her coach at Ashdod, Shira Haelion, was appointed head coach of the Israeli national team, Haelion asked Meyers if she wanted to represent Israel.
“When I got the call to join the national team, it was such an honor,” Meyers said.
She made her debut for Israel in November 2025 against Bosnia and Herzegovina. With Meyers on the roster, Israel is 3-0 as it pursues qualification for EuroBasket, a tournament it has not reached on its own since 2011.
What next?
Having accomplished everything available to her in Israel, Meyers moved to Spain, where she now plays for Perfumerías Avenida.
“Playing in Spain has been fun. They really love their women’s basketball, which has been nice to experience,” she said.
Asked about a return to the WNBA, Meyers is measured.
“While a foot in the door and a chance to live my dream, my WNBA experience was unsatisfying. If there is another WNBA storyline for me that would be great, and if not, so be it.”
Her perspective extends beyond professional ambition.
“Don’t take the game too seriously,” she advised other young players. “You can’t base your love of the game on whether or not your shot goes in. You don’t want to sit in the highs or the lows. There are bigger things in life than the bounce of a ball.”
Meyers’ fans, especially those in Israel, would love to see her back in the WNBA. It is a hope that her twin sister shares, too.
Said Olivia Meyers: “I want her to fulfill her dreams.”
