Deni Avdija
Deni Avdija (/ˈdɛni əvˈdijə/ DEN-ee əv-DEE-yə; Hebrew: דֶנִי אָבְדִיָה, Serbian Cyrillic: Дени Авдија; born 3 January 2001) is an Israeli professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the small forward position.
Avdija with the Washington Wizards in 2022 | |
| No. 8 – Washington Wizards | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 3 January 2001 Beit Zera, Israel |
| Nationality | Israeli / Serbian |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 2020: 1st round, 9th overall pick |
| Selected by the Washington Wizards | |
| Playing career | 2017–present |
| Career history | |
| 2017–2020 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| 2020–present | Washington Wizards |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Medals | |
The son of former basketball player Zufer Avdija, he started playing basketball in the fourth grade for his hometown club Bnei Herzliya Basket, and then in 2013 for Maccabi 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 the Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP award, and led his team to the Israeli Basketball Premier League championship.
In 2020, Avdija declared for the NBA draft and was drafted by the Washington Wizards. He is also a member of the Israeli senior national basketball team. He has won two gold medals for Israel at the youth level, including at the 2019 FIBA U20 European Championship, where he was named tournament's most valuable player.