Israeli basketball player Deni Avdija, of the Portland Trail Blazers, made history on Sunday night when he was selected for the NBA All‑Star Game roster, becoming the first Israeli ever to achieve this milestone.
The game will take place on February 15, at the Intuit Dome - the home of the Los Angeles Clippers. Avdija, who last month finished seventh in voting among Western Conference players and narrowly missed a spot in the starting lineup, will come off the bench for the Western Conference team.
He will be part of the “World Team," which will include, among others, Nikola Jokić (Serbia), Luka Dončić (Slovenia), and Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander (Canada).
Avdija is in his sixth NBA season and his second with the Trail Blazers. The Israeli superstar was selected ninth overall in the 2020 NBA draft by the Wizards and spent his first four NBA seasons in Washington before being traded to Portland before the start of the 2024-25 season.
This season, he is posting impressive averages of 25.5 points per game, shooting 46.7% from the field and 35.6% from three‑point range, in an average of 34.6 minutes per game.
Amos Frishman, chairman of the Israel Basketball Association, congratulated Avdija and said, “A night of immense pride for Israeli basketball. Deni Avdija proves time and again that he keeps breaking more and more glass ceilings. His incredible NBA season is further proof that with hard work, anything is possible. Deni is an ambassador of Israeli basketball and of the State of Israel, and today he stands shoulder to shoulder with the greatest players in the world with his selection to the NBA All‑Star Game." Frishman said.
Last month, Avdija became the first Israeli to be named the Western Conference Player of the Week.
This year’s All‑Star event will feature a new format: Two teams of American players will compete against one team of international players. The three teams will play a trio of 12‑minute games. The two teams with the best records will advance to a final game. In the event of a tie, point differential will determine who advances.