On Tuesday night, the Washington Wizards will host the Portland Trail Blazers for Jewish Heritage Night in a game that carries significance beyond the standings. The matchup coincides with International Holocaust Remembrance Day, giving it added weight amid heightened antisemitic sentiment across the political spectrum.
But despite that backdrop, the evening’s focal point for the local Jewish community may actually be what transpires on the court. Deni Avdija, the 6-foot-8 small forward from Beit Zera, Israel, returns to Capital One Arena, where his NBA career began, no longer as a developing young player, but as one of Israel’s — and the NBA’s — breakout sensations.
Selected ninth overall by Washington in the 2020 NBA Draft, Avdija spent the first four seasons of his NBA career with the Wizards before being traded to Portland in July 2024. This season, he has found his footing in the league, making a dramatic leap that has drawn attention from fans and NBA stars alike.
With that higher profile, however, has come online backlash — “hate,” he has called it — focusing on his Israeli roots.
“It’s frustrating to see all the hate,” Avdija told The Athletic in an interview released last week. “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?”
Avdija said the backlash comes “for no reason,” and he’s judged as if he were “deciding things in the world.”
“What do people expect me to do?” said Avdija. “[Israel] is my country, where I was born, where I grew up. I love my country.”
He noted that as an athlete he doesn’t “get into politics,” but encourages people to become more educated on the Middle East before speaking on the subject.
“Not everyone is educated and knows what is going on, and that’s what pisses me off,” Avdija said. “If you are not educated and you are not part of the Middle East … just don’t say anything.”
Avdija has long carried the weight of representing his country on basketball’s biggest stages. At just 16 years old, he became the youngest player ever to appear for Maccabi Tel Aviv. At the international level, he led Israel to back-to-back FIBA U20 European Championship titles in 2018 and 2019, earning tournament MVP honors in 2019 and later becoming the youngest Israeli League MVP.
Deni Avdija of Israel drives to the basket for a layup during the Group D FIBA Eurobasket 2025 game between Poland v Israel at Spodek Arena on August 30, 2025 in Katowice, Poland. (Photo by Massimo Ceretti/FIBA via Getty Images)
Now, midway through the NBA season, Avdija is averaging 26 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game, placing him among the league’s top scorers (top 15 in average PPG and top five in total points) this season. The jump has vaulted Avdija into league-wide conversations — even earning him a commemorative cup night on Jan. 5, during the Blazers game against the Utah Jazz.
That same week, Avdija erupted for a season-high 41 points in a narrow 103-102 home win over the Kevin Durant-led Houston Rockets. Avdija’s record night drew prominent attention across the league and generated several highlight packages that spread across social media. After the game, Durant praised Avdija, stating: “He’s going to be a star.”
Avdija has also etched his name into Israeli basketball history. In March 2025, he became the only player from Israel to record a triple-double in the league, a milestone he reached playing against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Last month, he surpassed Omri Casspi as Israel’s all-time leading scorer in the NBA.
“This is a guy who, when he gets downhill, is a problem,” said Steve Nash, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, speaking about Avdija’s ability to drive to the basket during his “Mind the Game” podcast, which he co-hosts with NBA superstar LeBron James.
James called Avdija a “physical driver to the rim,” stating that he believes the Wizards are “kicking themselves” for trading him away.
“This year in particular, I’ve seen him expand his range and make some shots from the perimeter at a more consistent rate,” said James. “It’s resulted in him having a breakout career year so far.”
The Israeli phenom has even hit franchise records, becoming the fastest player in Trail Blazers’ history to reach 1,000 points, 250 rebounds and 250 assists in a single season and just the seventh player in the last 35 NBA seasons to do so over a season’s first 39 games or quicker — a notable milestone for a team long defined by the legacy of prolific scorer Damian Lillard.
Avdija’s surge has placed him in contention for major individual recognition and the potential to reach new heights for Israeli athletes in professional American sports.
No Israeli basketball player has ever been named as an NBA All-Star. Avdija could change that and is viewed as a serious candidate to make an appearance — finishing seventh in Western Conference All-Star voting and gaining over 2 million fan votes.
Avdija also holds the highest odds to win NBA Most Improved Player, a prestigious award and potentially another first for an Israeli-born player.
As Avdija chases history, he has a simple message for the critics: “Just respect me as a basketball player. You don’t have to love what I stand for or how I look, but if I’m a good player, give props.”