Avdija thanked his teammates and coaches in an interview shared by the team following his selection.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, I couldn\u2019t do it without my teammates and coaches, and the whole crew that\u2019s just been with me this season, [it\u2019s] been amazing,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a long season to go. I gotta focus on the team and see how we get better as a group, but definitely as an individual accolade that\u2019s amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cI started playing basketball without a dream and just [to] see, pursue it, and just see wherever it takes me, and it\u2019s hard to believe that you just accomplish thing after thing after thing. It\u2019s just emotional for me for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s emotional for me for sure.\u201d \u2764\ufe0f<\/p>\n
Deni reflects on finding out he\u2019s been named an All-Star for the first time in his career. pic.twitter.com\/uo6NxGiqya<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) February 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n For close observers of Israeli basketball, Avdija\u2019s All-Star selection is the culmination of a promising career that began as a teenage star with Maccabi Tel Aviv and made him the first Israeli chosen in the top 10 in an NBA draft.\n<\/p>\n \u201cDeni Avdija being named an NBA All-Star reserve is an unbelievable achievement in the mind of every Israeli basketball fan,\u201d Moshe Halickman, who covers basketball for the popular Sports Rabbi website, wrote in an essay for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. \u201cThis is a dream come true for many \u2014 a dream that became realistic and even a must-happen during his breakout season \u2014 but something that in his first five seasons in the NBA never came across as something that was going to be real.\u201d<\/p>\n Halickman, who has covered Avdija in Washington, D.C., and in Israel, wrote that Avdija is not only considered the greatest Israeli hooper of all time, but perhaps the best athlete to come out of Israel, period.<\/p>\n Oded Shalom, who coached Avdija on Maccabi Tel Aviv\u2019s Under-15 and Under-16 teams, echoed that sentiment in a recent profile of Avdija in The Athletic.<\/p>\n \u201cEven though he is only 25, I think he is Israel\u2019s most successful athlete in history,\u2019\u2019 Shalom said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had some great gymnasts \u2014 and I hope everyone forgives me for saying it, because we\u2019ve had some great athletes \u2014 but I think Deni has become the greatest.\u201d<\/p>\n \t Avdija\u2019s ascent has also come against the backdrop of the war in Gaza and a global rise in antisemitism, which he has said affects him personally.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m an athlete. I don\u2019t really get into politics, because it\u2019s not my job,\u201d Avdija told The Athletic. \u201cI obviously stand for my country, because that\u2019s where I\u2019m from. It\u2019s 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. Like, why can\u2019t I just be a good basketball player? Why does it matter if I\u2019m from Israel, or wherever in the world, or what my race is? Just respect me as a basketball player.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, Avdija\u2019s talents will be on display at the NBA All-Star Game on February 15 in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n Times of Israel staff contributed to this article.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tPortland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija (8) looks for an open teammate while defended by Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody (4) during the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game, November 21, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo\/Godofredo A. V\u00e1squez)<\/p>\n
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