Trail Blazers' Deni Avdija becomes the first Israeli to be named an NBA All-Star

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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Deni Avdija's breakout season earned him an All-Star nod.

The Portland Trail Blazers forward was named as a Western Conference reserve on Sunday night. He was among 14 reserves announced for the All-Star showcase on Feb. 15 in Inglewood, California.

Avdija is the first Israeli to be named an NBA All-Star. The 25-year-old was born in Beit Zera, a kibbutz on the southern shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Nicknamed “Turbo,” Avdija is averaging career bests of 25.5 points and 6.7 assists along with 7.2 rebounds in 44 games. He's one of three players averaging at least 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists, joining Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic.

“Proud of him. I know he cares about this team,” Blazers coach Tiago Splitter said. “When you see a person like that succeeding, it’s truly special.”

The 6-foot-8 Avdija has three triple-doubles this season. He has reached double figures in assists nine times and scored 20 or more points 35 times.

Shooting 46.7% from the field, Avdija has helped steady the rebuilding Blazers through a series of injures. Portland was 23-26 and in ninth in the Western Conference heading into Sunday's game against Cleveland.

Avdija was sidelined by a sore back against the Cavaliers, the sixth game he's missed in the past 10.

He’s the 17th player in Blazers history to be named an All-Star and the first since Damian Lillard in 2023.

Avdija is in his second season with the Blazers after spending his first four years with the Washington Wizards, who drafted him in the first round in 2020.

This season’s All-Star showcase has a tournament format — U.S. vs. the World, with three teams of at least eight players playing 12-minute games in a round-robin format. The top two teams will meet for the championship.

Avdija is set to join Doncic, Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama, among others, on the World team.

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