Deni Avdija has grown used to a kind of scrutiny that has nothing to do with his jump shot or his rebounding numbers. Speaking in a television interview cited by Sport5, the Portland Trail Blazers forward addressed head-on the friction that sometimes follows him onto NBA courts because of where he is from.
"Not everyone is happy that you're Israeli, but that's reality. It bothers me less," Avdija said, according to Sport5, when asked directly about carrying his nationality with him across American arenas.
It is not the first time the 25-year-old has spoken on the subject. In separate interviews carried by N12 and Haaretz earlier this year, Avdija described feeling hostility from crowds at times and said the increased attention on his identity has come hand in hand with his rising profile in the league, even as he insisted he draws far more support than hostility from Israeli and Jewish fans who turn out with flags at his games.
The comments come off the back of a breakout campaign in Portland. Avdija earned his first NBA All-Star selection during the 2025-26 season, a run that included three triple-doubles and a 41-point outburst against Houston, and saw him ranked among the league's top players in scoring, assists and efficiency, according to the Times of Israel.
He also led Israel's national team to the round of 16 at EuroBasket 2025, the country's first appearance that deep in the tournament in a decade, before losing to a Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Greece.
Looking ahead to the coming NBA season, Avdija told the interviewer his priorities are straightforward: "I want to be part of a winning team," he said, adding that he hopes to reach the All-Star game again while staying healthy throughout the year.
Asked about his personal life, Avdija kept things light, saying he is not chasing a relationship but is not ruling one out either. "I'm very focused on my career, but I'm living life, I'm going with the flow," he said, per Sport5.
On visits home, he said the first order of business is always the same: sitting down to a meal cooked by his mother, and making time with his parents before diving back into his NBA schedule.
