One week after Deni Avdija made Israeli history by becoming the first Israeli player to be selected to the NBA All-Star Game, Avdija will be indirectly responsible for another historic moment.
This will occur when he joins forces on the same team with a Turkish player, marking a unique and unprecedented collaboration between representatives of the two countries, whose relations have been strained since the October 7 massacre.
In Turkey, where there was anger last week over the selection of the Israeli Avdija to the All-Star Game while their own star, Alperen Şengün, was left off the prestigious list, fans received welcome news on Sunday evening, when NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that the Turkish center of the Houston Rockets will also be included in next week’s All-Star Game in Los Angeles.
Şengün will join the World team, replacing Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from Canada, who suffered an abdominal muscle injury last week and will be sidelined for the near future.
For Şengün, this will be his second appearance in the All-Star Game, having also taken part last year. This season he is averaging 20.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 6.3 assists for the Rockets.