_(cropped).jpg) Avdija with theWashington Wizards in 2022 | |
| No. 8 – Portland Trail Blazers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (2001-01-03)3 January 2001 (age 24) Beit Zera,Israel |
| Nationality | Israeli / Serbian |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 2020: 1st round, 9th overall pick |
| Selected by theWashington Wizards | |
| Playing career | 2017–present |
| Career history | |
| 2017–2020 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| 2020–2024 | Washington Wizards |
| 2024–present | Portland Trail Blazers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Deni Avdija (/ˈdɛniəvˈdijə/DEN-ee əv-DEE-yə;Hebrew:דֶנִי אָבְדִיָה,; born 3 January 2001) is an Israeli professionalbasketball player for thePortland Trail Blazers of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He plays thesmall forward position[1], and is nicknamed "Turbo" for his fast-paced drive and aggressive playing style.[2]
The son of Yugoslav former basketball playerZufer Avdija, he started playing basketball in the fourth grade for his hometown clubBnei Herzliya Basket, and then in 2013 forMaccabi Tel Aviv. He excelled as a youth player. He debuted for their senior team in 2017, at age 16, becoming the youngest player in club history. Two years later, he became the youngest player to ever win theIsraeli Basketball Premier League MVP award, and led his team to theIsraeli Basketball Premier League championship.
In 2020, Avdija declared for theNBA draft and was drafted by theWashington Wizards with the 9th overall pick. He is also a member of theIsraeli senior national basketball team. He has won twogold medals for Israel at the youth level, including at the2019 FIBA U20 European Championship, where he was named tournament'smost valuable player.
Avdija was born inkibbutzBeit Zera in Israel. His mother, Sharon Artzi, is anIsraeli Jew and formertrack and field and basketball player.[3] His father,Zufer Avdija, is an Israeli citizen ofGorani–Muslim heritage[3][4][5] who played basketball for theYugoslavia national team prior to moving to Israel to play for Israeli teams.[6]
Deni Avdija playedassociation football until he entered fourth grade, when his friend and teammate Itamar Vule convinced him to try basketball because of his height. He started focusing more onbasketball. In 2013, he joined the youth ranks ofMaccabi Tel Aviv, where he played under the coach Shai Omer.[7] From 2017 to 2019, Avdija ledMaccabi Tel Aviv to three consecutive Israeli youth state championships.[8] In August 2018, he participated inBasketball Without Borders Europe inBelgrade, where he was named camp MVP.[9][10]
Avdija initially competed at the youth level forBnei Herzliya, and in January 2019, Avdija played for Maccabi Tel Aviv's U18 team at theAdidas Next Generation Tournament (ANGT) inMunich. He was selected to the all-tournament team after leading the event with 24.3points, 6assists, and 3.8steals per game and aPerformance Index Rating (PIR) of 31.5. Avdija also ranked second among all players with 11rebounds per game, while helping his team finish in second place.[11] In February 2019, at theNBA All-Star Weekend inCharlotte, North Carolina, Avdija was named MVP of the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp.[12] In May, he joined Maccabi Tel Aviv's U18 team for theANGT Finals. He collected all-tournament team honours after leading the event with 24.7 points and 12 rebounds per game with a PIR of 29.7, while ranking second with 6.7 assists per game.[13]
On 5 November 2017, Avdija started his professional career with Israeli clubMaccabi Tel Aviv, signing a six-year deal with the club.[14] On 19 November, he made his professional debut in the2017–18 Israeli Basketball Premier League, playing three minutes againstIroni Nes Ziona. At 16 years and 320 days of age, he became the youngest player to ever play for his club's senior team.[15][16] Avdija made hisEuroLeague debut on 22 November 2018, at the age of 17, in a 74–70 loss toFenerbahçe. He scored two points in three minutes of playing time.[17]
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On 24 October 2019, at the age of 18, Avdija made his first start in theEuroLeague, recording six points and three rebounds in 16 minutes in a 76–63 victory overValencia.[18] On 11 January 2020, Avdija recorded a then career-high of 22 points, shooting 9-of-15 from the field, with five assists in a 94–83 win overHapoel Holon.[19] On 31 January, Avdija was namedIsraeli Player of the Month in the Israeli Basketball Premier League after averaging 14.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game, with an 18.3 PIR, in four games played that month.[20] On 1 February, Avdija established a new career-high of 26 points, shooting 9-of-12 from the field, and grabbed six rebounds in an 86–81 loss toHapoel Eilat.[21] Six days later, he scored 13 points, including eight in the second quarter, in a 78–77 victory over Fenerbahçe.[22] His dunk overLuigi Datome during the game would be namedEuroLeague Magic Moment of the Season in July 2020.[23] On 16 April, Avdija declared for the2020 NBA draft.[24]
Avdija's season was suspended for about three months due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. He returned to action on 21 June, recording 23 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in 24 minutes in a 114–82 win overMaccabi Ashdod.[25] On 23 July, he scored 22 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, and grabbed 10 rebounds in an 83–68 win overHapoel Tel Aviv, helping Maccabi Tel Aviv advance to the Israeli Basketball Premier League Final Four.[26] In the Final on 28 July, Avdija recorded five points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals to help Maccabi Tel Aviv defeatMaccabi Rishon LeZion, 86–81.[27] He became the youngest player to ever win theIsraeli League MVP award.[28] Avdija was also named Israeli League Israeli Player of the Year and was anAll-Israeli League First Team selection.[29] He finished the season averaging 12.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. In the EuroLeague, Avdija averaged four points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 14.3 minutes per game.[30]
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Avdija was selected with the ninth overall pick in the2020 NBA draft by theWashington Wizards.[31][32] He was projected as a consensus top 5 pick on draft night but slipped.[33] He signed a rookie contract with the Wizards on 1 December 2020.[34][35]
On 9 January 2021, Avdija recorded a then-career-high 20 points and five three-pointers, along with five rebounds, five assists, and two steals in a 128–124 loss to theMiami Heat.[36] On 21 April, Avdija suffered a right ankle fracture during a 118–114 win against theGolden State Warriors.[37][38]
On 14 February 2022, Avdija set a then career high in rebounds with 15 in a 103–94 loss to theDetroit Pistons.[39] During the 2021–22 season, Avdija played all 82 games while averaging 8.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game.[40]
On 11 January 2023, Avdija set a new career high in rebounds with 20 in a 100–97 win against theChicago Bulls.[41] On 30 January 2023, Avdija set a then career high in points with 25 in a 127–109 win against theSan Antonio Spurs.[42]
On 22 October 2023, Avdija and theWashington Wizards agreed to a 4-year, $55 million contract extension.[43]
On 14 February 2024, Avdija posted a new career high in points with 43, along with 15 rebounds, in a 133–126 loss to theNew Orleans Pelicans.[44] He finished the 2023–24 season averaging career highs across every major statistical category, posting statistical averages of 14.7 points per game, 7.2 rebounds per game, 3.8 assists per game, to go along with 51% field goal percentage, 37% three-point shooting percentage, and 3.6 free throw attempts per game.[45]
On 6 July 2024, Avdija was traded to thePortland Trail Blazers in exchange forBub Carrington,Malcolm Brogdon, and several draft selections.[46]
On March 2, 2025, Avdija recorded his firsttriple-double against theCleveland Cavaliers.
Although he had also been eligible to representSerbia internationally, due to his father's background, Avdija chose to play forIsrael because he had friends there and was more familiar with its language.[47] He competed forIsrael at the2017 FIBA U16 European Championship inPodgorica. Avdija led the tournament with 12.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game, to go with 15.3 points per game.[48][49]
In April 2018, Avdija averaged over 17 points and nine rebounds forIsrael at theAlbert Schweitzer Tournament, an under-18 competition inMannheim.[50] In July 2018, he played at theFIBA U20 European Championship inChemnitz, leadingIsrael to a gold medal. Avdija averaged 12.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game, while earning a spot on theall-tournament team with teammateYovel Zoosman.[51][52] Later that month, Avdija competed at theFIBA U18 European Championship Division B inSkopje. Appearing tired from his previous tournament and lacking in endurance, he averaged 17.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.4 steals per game.[53]
In July 2019, Avdija led Israel to a second straight gold medal at theFIBA U20 European Championship inTel Aviv. He averaged 18.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.4 blocks, and 2.1 steals per game, earning MVP and all-tournament team accolades, as the second-youngest player at the event.[4][54] Avdija tallied 26 points, 11 rebounds and 5 steals against France in the semifinal, before recording 23 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks againstSpain in the final.[55][56]
On 21 February 2019, Avdija made his debut for theIsraeli senior national team, in an 81–77 win overGermany, during the2019 FIBA World Cup qualification stage.[57] On 24 February 2020, he recorded 21 points and eight rebounds in 24 minutes in an 87–63 victory overRomania during theEuroBasket 2021 qualifiers.[58]
His free throw shooting is not as strong as his otherwise versatile game; in 59 games for Maccabi, he averaged 59% from the free throw line and 33% from the 3-point zone.[59]
His fatherZufer Avdija was born inPriština,PR Serbia,FPR Yugoslavia. A professional basketball player in Yugoslavia and Israel, Zufer spent 11 years of his playing career withCrvena zvezda and was the team'scaptain in the 1980s, before moving to theIsraeli Premier League in the 1990s and playing 8 seasons forIsraeli clubsRamat HaSharon,Rishon LeZion,Hapoel Tel Aviv, and ElitzurBat Yam.[7][4][60] He also represented theYugoslavian national team internationally, with whom he won the bronze medal at the1982 FIBA World Championship.[6] Avdija's mother, Sharon Artzi, anIsraeli Jew fromkibbutzBeit Zera, is a formertrack and field athlete and basketball player.[3][6][60][61] Avdija is Jewish, and sat out his first preseason game with the Trail Blazers in 2024to observe the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.[62]
Avdija holdsdual citizenship of Israel and Serbia, the latter because his father is a citizen.[47][63] When he turned 18 years old, he received a deferment from mandatory service in theIsrael Defense Forces (IDF) due to his basketball career.[61] On 1 April 2020, while the basketball season was suspended as a result of theCOVID-19 pandemic, Avdija was drafted into the IDF for a short service.[64] After a series of terrorist attacks in Israel in early 2022, Avdija wrote the Jewish solidarity phrase "Am Yisrael Chai" in Hebrew on his shoes.[65]
He has said he learned to speak English by playing video games, as well as by watchingNickelodeon sitcoms.[66]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | Washington | 54 | 32 | 23.3 | .417 | .315 | .644 | 4.9 | 1.2 | .6 | .3 | 6.3 |
| 2021–22 | Washington | 82* | 8 | 24.2 | .432 | .317 | .757 | 5.2 | 2.0 | .7 | .5 | 8.4 |
| 2022–23 | Washington | 76 | 40 | 26.6 | .437 | .297 | .739 | 6.4 | 2.8 | .9 | .4 | 9.2 |
| 2023–24 | Washington | 75 | 75 | 30.1 | .506 | .374 | .740 | 7.2 | 3.8 | .8 | .5 | 14.7 |
| Career | 287 | 155 | 26.2 | .457 | .327 | .737 | 6.0 | 2.5 | .8 | .4 | 9.8 | |
Source: euroleague.net[67][68]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 8 | 0 | 6.4 | .444 | .500 | 1.000 | 1.5 | .3 | .1 | .0 | 3.9 | 3.0 |
| 2019–20 | 26 | 5 | 14.3 | .436 | .277 | .556 | 2.6 | 1.2 | .4 | .2 | 4.0 | 3.9 | |
| Career | 34 | 5 | 12.4 | .438 | .316 | .600 | 2.4 | .9 | .3 | .2 | 4.0 | 3.5 | |
and Basketball Reference 
