Deni Avdija (דֶנִי אָבְדִיָה, 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.
2013
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.
In 2013, he joined the youth ranks of Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he played under the coach Shai Omer.
2017
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.
From 2017 to 2019, Avdija led Maccabi Tel Aviv to three consecutive Israeli youth state championships.
On 5 November 2017, Avdija started his professional career with Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv, signing a six-year deal with the club.
On 19 November, he made his professional debut in the 2017–18 Israeli Basketball Premier League, playing three minutes against Ironi Nes Ziona.
At 16 years and 320 days of age, he became the youngest player to ever play for his club's senior team.
2018
In August 2018, he participated in Basketball Without Borders Europe in Belgrade, where he was named camp MVP.
Avdija made his EuroLeague debut on 22 November 2018, at the age of 17, in a 74–70 loss to Fenerbahçe.
He scored two points in three minutes of playing time.
2019
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.
Avdija was born in kibbutz Beit Zera in Israel.
His mother, Sharon Artzi, is an Israeli Jew and former track and field and basketball player.
His father, Zufer Avdija, is an Israeli citizen of Gorani–Muslim heritage who played basketball for the Yugoslavia national team prior to moving to Israel to play for Israeli teams.
Deni Avdija played association football until he entered fourth grade, when his friend and teammate convinced him to try basketball because of his height.
He started focusing more on basketball.
Avdija initially competed at the youth level for Bnei Herzliya, and in January 2019, Avdija played for Maccabi Tel Aviv's U18 team at the Adidas Next Generation Tournament (ANGT) in Munich.
He was selected to the all-tournament team after leading the event with 24.3 points, 6 assists, and 3.8 steals per game and a Performance Index Rating (PIR) of 31.5.
Avdija also ranked second among all players with 11 rebounds per game, while helping his team finish in second place.
In February 2019, at the NBA All-Star Weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina, Avdija was named MVP of the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp.
In May, he joined Maccabi Tel Aviv's U18 team for the ANGT 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.
On 24 October 2019, at the age of 18, Avdija made his first start in the EuroLeague, recording six points and three rebounds in 16 minutes in a 76–63 victory over Valencia.
2020
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.
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 over Hapoel Holon.
On 31 January, Avdija was named Israeli 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.
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 to Hapoel Eilat.
Six days later, he scored 13 points, including eight in the second quarter, in a 78–77 victory over Fenerbahçe.
His dunk over Luigi Datome during the game would be named EuroLeague Magic Moment of the Season in July 2020.
On 16 April, Avdija declared for the 2020 NBA draft.
Avdija's season was suspended for about three months due to the COVID-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 over Maccabi Ashdod.
On 23 July, he scored 22 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, and grabbed 10 rebounds in an 83–68 win over Hapoel Tel Aviv, helping Maccabi Tel Aviv advance to the Israeli Basketball Premier League Final Four.
In the Final on 28 July, Avdija recorded five points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals to help Maccabi Tel Aviv defeat Maccabi Rishon LeZion, 86–81.
He became the youngest player to ever win the Israeli League MVP award.
