Inspiring Jew from Today: Deni Avdija
Deni Avdija was born in 2001 in Israel. He grew up around basketball. His father was a professional player, and from a young age he was already competing at a high level.
As a teenager, he joined Maccabi Tel Aviv, one of Europe’s top clubs. By 18, he was playing professionally and winning championships. He also represented Israel internationally, leading the under-20 national team to a European Championship title, where he was named MVP.
In 2020, he entered the NBA Draft and was selected in the first round. That move took him from Israeli and European basketball to the highest level of the sport.
For his first few seasons, he was finding his place. And then this year, he hit his stride and everything changed.
He is now a regular starter and one of his team’s most important players, putting up strong all-around numbers, scoring, rebounding, and creating plays.
In 2026, he made history by becoming the first Israeli ever selected as an NBA All-Star. He represents Israel on the global stage in a quiet and dignified way. His talent is doing most of the talking.