PHOTO: Tyra Hunt/Portland Trail Blazers
Jews across the greater Portland area – and around the world – are kvelling about Deni Avdija, a 25-year-old basketball sensation who is largely responsible for returning the Portland Trail Blazers to the NBA playoffs for the first time in five seasons.
A 6-8 forward, Avdija has averaged 24.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game this season. In his first All-Star Game appearance on Feb. 15, the first ever for an Israeli-born player, he recorded five points, four assists, and one rebound for the “World” team.
His success has continued, and continues to fuel the Blazers’ success as a team. This was recently demonstrated in Avdija’s 41-point performance against the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Play-In Tournament Tuesday, Apr. 14. Portland won the game, 114-110, to secure the seventh seed in the league playoffs. He’s since averaged 22 points per game in Portland’s first round playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs, which Portland lost four games to one following a 114-95 defeat Tuesday evening.
Avdija, who lives in Israel during the off season, grew up in Herzliya, an upscale coastal city just north of Tel Aviv known for its popular beaches, luxury marina and high-tech industry. As a professional athlete who keeps odd hours and travels often to different hotels, observing Jewish holidays has been challenging. “It’s a little tricky, but I do whatever I can,” he said during a mid-day break from warmups and layups at the Blazers’ practice facility in Tualatin the Thursday following the win over Phoenix.
Despite accounting for just 0.2 percent of the world’s population, Jews have made their mark in countless professions and have produced a disproportionate share of Nobel laureates. Asked whether his Jewish background drove an unyielding commitment to excellence on the basketball court, his answer was steeped in humility.
“It’s just me being me, being a hard-working guy and humble,” he noted. “I stay grounded most of the time. My parents did a great job of raising me to be a competitor and not backing down and being afraid.”
Knowing Jews are expected to become doctors, lawyers, accountants or similar professionals, not professional athletes per se, Avdija credits his parents with being very supportive of his career choice. “I don’t think your religion really dictates what you’re going to do in life and whatever you’re capable of doing,” he believes. “I think everybody can do everything. I enjoy being an athlete and competing, and that’s what I did.”
Avdija is one of just four Jewish NBA players; the others being Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf, both of whom play for the Brooklyn Nets, and Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings who is in the process of converting to Judaism, according to public statements by his wife. Avdija is well-acquainted with Saraf, who grew up in Moshav Gan Yoshiya, Israel. He has also spoken with Blazers acting coach Tiago Splitter about the Brazilian-born former NBA player’s Jewish roots, though “we didn’t really get into it too much,” he hastened to add.
Although low key about his Jewish and Israeli roots, he is embracing his role on such an enormous stage. “It feels amazing to represent such a small country, giving people a lot of peace and hope, especially in harsh and tough times,” he explained. “They have a little something to watch and escape from all the things happening in the world right now.”
Given the current highly charged political environment and developments overseas, the Blazers asked that there be no questions about politics or antisemitism as a condition for this interview. In fact, Avdija has largely avoided controversial topics – preferring instead to focus on basketball.
Like Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and other elite NBA stars, Avdija reached the pinnacle of his career by grinding out his relentless pursuit of high performance both on and off the court. “I just try to be a better player and person every single day, and that’s what got me here: hard work and dedication,” he says.
The Blazers roster is as diverse as it is talented. The team is tied with the Golden State Warriors as the second most heavily international squad, with seven players apiece hailing from outside the United States. Joining Avdija are Toumani Camara (Belgium), Sidy Cissoko (France), Duop Reath (an Australian born in South Sudan), Rayan Rupert (France), Shaedon Sharpe (Canada), and Matisse Thybulle (whose dual citizenship is with Australia and the U.S.). This past season, the NBA featured a record 135 international players from 43 nations. It comes at a time when European stars increasingly are making their dominant presence known in a game invented by Americans.
“We’re a very international team – having different cultures and perspectives, and I think it’s fun,” he said. “We’re all getting along pretty good. Everybody’s just learning from everybody and their roots. At the end of the day, we’re a bunch of good human beings. It doesn’t really matter where you’re from or what you’ve been through. We have a good camaraderie around the team.”
He describes being in the first playoff series of his six-year career as a high watermark that fills him with pride and a sense of accomplishment. “I think it’s great for me, for the country I represent, and just in general,” he says. “I’m super happy that I can have a challenge like that, and hopefully I can learn and do better.”
Bruce Shutan is a versatile journalist based in Portland who has written for nearly 140 publications, corporate entities, and individuals over four decades. He also ghostwrites independently published business books and memoirs and is an at-large member of the Cultural Synagogue Board of Directors. Find more of his work at bruceshutan.com.