ARTS AND CULTURE

Deni Avdija

Small forward, Washington Wizards

Tipped as one of the stars of the forthcoming NBA season, Israeli basketball player Deni Avdija was the ninth overall pick in the league’s 2020 draft. The 6’9”, 225-pound forward was selected by the Washington Wizards, becoming the highest-drafted Israeli player in NBA history in the process. The former Maccabi Tel Aviv player averaged 18.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.4 blocks and 2.1 steals to earn MVP honors at the 2019 FIBA U-20 European Championships. The 19-year-old Avdija also helped Israel win the gold medal in back-to-back FIBA U-20 European Championships in 2018 and 2019. The son of an Israeli mother and a Serb father, Avdija made his debut in Israeli basketball at the age of 16. He is the youngest player in Israel to have been awarded with the Israeli league’s MVP title. (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)