NBA's only Jewish player in Israel

Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar, the NBA's only Jewish player, showed his dribbling, shooting and slam-dunking skills at a clinic in southern Israel on Tuesday for Jewish and Arab kids.

The 21-year-old Farmar is the guest of the Peres Center for Peace, founded by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shimon Peres, now Israel's president, to encourage cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians. One of the ways the center tries to improve relationships is through children playing sports together.

Farmar is the first Jewish player in the NBA since Danny Schayes - son of Hall of Famer Dolph Schayes - retired in 1999.

"I've gotten a warm welcome from the whole country," he told the Associated Press in a telephone interview during the clinic in Kiryat Gat, a desert town. "People seem to recognize me everywhere, and it's been great."

Farmar was a key member of a Lakers team that reached the NBA Finals in June and lost to the Boston Celtics. In only his second pro season, the Los Angeles native and UCLA standout backed up veteran point guard Derek Fisher.