Born in Berlin as Rolf Klein, to an affluent Hungarian Jewish family, Raphael Ram was fortunate to survive World War II. His father was murdered by the SS in Auschwitz, but Ram and the rest of his family were rescued by Raoul Wallenberg, the famous Swedish diplomat, who hid them in a secure Swedish house in a Budapest ghetto. After the war, Klein began playing basketball in the Hungarian National League, but he and his mother emigrated to Israel in 1951. There he joined Maccabi Tel Aviv, for whom he played until 1964, winning eight national league titles. Ram was capped 68 times for the national team, playing in the 1952 Olympics, the 1954 World Championships, and the European Championships in 1953, 1959, 1961, and 1963.
Ram then began coaching in 1964 and became coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv, leading them to 14 league championships, and the 1977 European title. He coached the National team from the late 1970s thru 1983, but in 1984, was named coach of the West German national team, coaching them at the 1984 Olympics and 1985 World Championships.
Israel 
West Germany