American pro basketball players escape Hamas bombings in Israel
With 11 Americans already confirmed dead in Israel, US basketball players in the country are continuing to flee the ongoing Hamas attacks, with some reaching nearby Greece while others are sheltering in hopes of being evacuated. Dusty Hannahs, a former Arkansas guard who played briefly for the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies, told SiriusXM that he has safely reached Athens, Greece where he and his Ironi Ness Ziona teammates are awaiting word on when it will be safe to return.
!['It's pretty insane, but you can still feel the shaking of the impact in the sky, especially if it gets low' said Hannah, who was living in the coastal city of Bat Yam. 'I could kind of feel my room shake, so I ran to the bomb shelter on my floor. As a kid from Arkansas, it was all pretty foreign to me. The room was shaking and it kind of just went on all day.' Hannahs was instructed by the team's general manager to pack and head to the airport, only to discover that Bat Yam had been struck by a missile following his departure.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/10/15/76381899-12615055-_It_s_pretty_insane_but_you_can_still_feel_the_shaking_of_the_im-a-51_1696948018561.jpg)
‘It’s pretty insane, but you can still feel the shaking of the impact in the sky, especially if it gets low’ said Hannah, who was living in the coastal city of Bat Yam. ‘I could kind of feel my room shake, so I ran to the bomb shelter on my floor. As a kid from Arkansas, it was all pretty foreign to me. The room was shaking and it kind of just went on all day.’ Hannahs was instructed by the team’s general manager to pack and head to the airport, only to discover that Bat Yam had been struck by a missile following his departure.
!['I'm reading it like, ''Wow I just got out in time,''' the Little Rock native said. But Hannahs and his teammates were not out of danger. 'As I look up everyone in the airport is sprinting to a shelter,' Hannahs continued. 'As an American, my first thought was there's gunman. Like someone got in the building or something and then I heard giant booms. And they were shooting missiles at the airport while we were there trying to get out.'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/10/15/76381905-12615055-_I_m_reading_it_like_Wow_I_just_got_out_in_time_the_Little_Rock_-a-56_1696948018808.jpg)
‘I’m reading it like, ”Wow I just got out in time,”’ the Little Rock native said. But Hannahs and his teammates were not out of danger. ‘As I look up everyone in the airport is sprinting to a shelter,’ Hannahs continued. ‘As an American, my first thought was there’s gunman. Like someone got in the building or something and then I heard giant booms. And they were shooting missiles at the airport while we were there trying to get out.’
![Hannahs, a former guard at Arkansas, said he was ultimately able to fly out of the city and is safely in Athens. Other former Razorbacks playing in Israel are also safe, including Justin Smith and Jalen Tate, according to Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman. 'We checked in with all three players this morning, they're all doing well,' Musselman told Hogville, an Arkansas sports website. 'Other staff members and other players have also reached out to the guys.' It's unclear if Smith and Tate have made their way out of the country yet.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/10/15/76381903-12615055-Hannahs_a_former_guard_at_Arkansas_said_he_was_ultimately_able_t-a-57_1696948018810.jpg)
Hannahs, a former guard at Arkansas, said he was ultimately able to fly out of the city and is safely in Athens. Other former Razorbacks playing in Israel are also safe, including Justin Smith and Jalen Tate, according to Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman. ‘We checked in with all three players this morning, they’re all doing well,’ Musselman told Hogville, an Arkansas sports website. ‘Other staff members and other players have also reached out to the guys.’ It’s unclear if Smith and Tate have made their way out of the country yet.
![Philadelphia native Jared Armstrong plays for Israel's Elizur Ashkelon but was forced to flee the war-torn city after it was decimated by a Hamas bombing. 'As an overseas basketball player, never would I have thought that I'd be living in a country when it declares war,' Armstrong said in a self-shot Instagram video, depicting his journey to an area north of Tel Aviv, where it's believed to be safe. 'Right outside my apartment complex, Hamas [launched] rockets and missiles to the city of Ashkelon and all over the state of Israel, murdering, injuring and hurting innocent Israeli citizens. As the war progressed, we decided to leave the city of Ashkelon.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/10/15/76381879-12615055-Philadelphia_native_Jared_Armstrong_plays_for_Israel_s_Elizur_As-a-52_1696948018782.jpg)
Philadelphia native Jared Armstrong plays for Israel’s Elizur Ashkelon but was forced to flee the war-torn city after it was decimated by a Hamas bombing. ‘As an overseas basketball player, never would I have thought that I’d be living in a country when it declares war,’ Armstrong said in a self-shot Instagram video, depicting his journey to an area north of Tel Aviv, where it’s believed to be safe. ‘Right outside my apartment complex, Hamas [launched] rockets and missiles to the city of Ashkelon and all over the state of Israel, murdering, injuring and hurting innocent Israeli citizens. As the war progressed, we decided to leave the city of Ashkelon.
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