While Fans Embrace Israeli Star Deni Avdija, NBA Players Remain Less Convinced

Deni Avdija, a native-born Israeli in the NBA, is taking the league by storm. Once viewed as a promising, but unfinished talent, the 25-year-old Portland Trail Blazers forward has emerged as one of the league’s most unexpected and compelling breakout stars this season.Using his 6-foot-8 frame, expanded shooting range, and growing confidence as a playmaker, Mr. Avdija has become a nightly force, averaging an impressive 26.2 points per game, along with 7.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists.Fans have taken notice. When voting results for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game were released this week, Mr. Avdija ranked fifth among Western Conference players in fan voting, ahead of future Hall of Famers LeBron James and Kevin Durant.If fans decided on the starters for the Feb 15 showcase in Inglewood, California, Mr. Avdija would have the distinction of being a starter in his first ever All-Star game. But the voting is layered. Fan votes account for 50 percent of the selection process. The vote of NBA players counts for 25 percent, and a media panel counts for the remaining 25 percent.Mr. Avdija’s peers ranked him 10th in the Western Conference while the media voted him ninth. The combined total left him seventh overall, just outside automatic starter status. Now he must wait for the coaches to pick their reserves on Feb.1, hoping to become the first Israeli player ever named an NBA All-Star.His chances are good, considering the All-Star Game format this year will see two teams of American players and one team of international players competing in a round-robin tournament of four 12-minute games.His teammate Damian Lillard believes Mr. Avdija deserves to be recognized among the league’s best. “I think he is a must-have player in the league right now,” Mr. Lillard told the Athletic. “He puts pressure on the rim, draws fouls, can make 3s, has size, speed…You can see the league is changing, and if a team wants to be successful, you’ve got to have a guy like him. You’ve got to have a forward who can do all those things, and he’s all those things.”It’s not unusual for fans, players and media to disagree on who the top players are in a given season. All-Star games can be a popularity contest where veteran players are awarded more by reputation than current performance. Fans typically go for nostalgia while players and media can be more critical.The fact fans have rallied around Mr. Avdija on a global scale is intriguing. He received 2.2 million votes from fans to start the All-Star Game, nearly 400,000 more than Mr. James and nearly 700,000 more than Mr. Durant. Only Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Stephen Curry, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received more votes in the West.Mr. Avdija’s fan appeal has grown despite being a relative newcomer and being an Israeli, who has publicly supported his country in the controversial war in Gaza.“I respect my country and I stand behind it,” he told the Athletic. “I’m a proud Israeli, because that’s where I grew up. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for Israel, and the support the people and fans gave me. But all the extra stuff around it? It’s just unnecessary.”Mr. Avdija has thrived despite being caught at the intersection of politics and basketball. After 41 games, he averaged 26.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game after posting 16.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game a year ago.In the second year of a four-year $55 million contract, the former basketball prodigy in Israel, returned from missing three games due to a back injury by posting 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in a recent victory over Sacramento.“Our team chemistry is amazing,” Mr. Avdija said. “I genuinely feel like my teammates enjoy seeing me succeed, and that means a lot. It’s something that is not very common in the NBA, so I’m enjoying this. I know it’s not always going to be sunshine and rainbows, but I think I’m ready.”Mr. Avdija grew up playing against grown professionals while a teenager playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv, Israel’s most prestigious basketball team. Those experiences tested him physically and mentally. He also was hardened by the tough love from his father, Zufer, a former member of the Yugoslavian national team, and his mother, Sharon, a former runner and basketball player.He entered the NBA as a 20-year-old in 2021 and played for the Washington Wizards for four seasons before being traded to Portland in the summer of 2024.He credits the Blazers’ former head coach Chauncey Billups for telling him to “grab the rebound and go,” allowing Mr. Avdija to use his speed and athletic skills to turn offensive rebounds into fastbreaks. Playing a hybrid point-forward has increased his scoring, rebounding and assists, a pattern that has continued despite Mr. Billups losing his job after being arrested last October in connection with a gambling scandal.“When I started playing like that, my confidence grew,” Mr. Avdija said. “Chauncey told me he thought I could be great. He saw parts of my game I didn’t value enough.”Mr. Avdija believes he still has “another level,” to his game, and his consistency may eventually win over the players around the league who have yet to believe in him the way fans do.“I’m still learning,” he said. “Teams focus on me now. I’m still adjusting.”While basketball has delivered fulfillment, life away from Israel presents its emotional strains. He still experiences bouts of homesickness. He also sees social media messages filled with political hostility and comments focused on global conflicts rather than basketball.“I’m an athlete,” he said. “I don’t really get into politics because it’s not my job. I obviously stand for my country because that’s where I’m from. It’s frustrating to see all the hate. Like, I have a good game or get All-Star votes, and all the comments are people connecting me to politics. Why can’t I just be a good basketball player? Why does it matter if I’m from Israel or wherever in the world, or what my race is? Just respect me as a basketball player.”More than 2 million fans certainly do.

While Fans Embrace Israeli Star Deni Avdija, NBA Players Remain Less Convinced

While Fans Embrace Israeli Star Deni Avdija, NBA Players Remain Less Convinced

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