Deni Avdija who was by far Israel’s best player in the tournament shared his feelings, “I felt a lot of things. I gave everything I had. We all gave everything, it’s not an easy tournament and I gave it my all: defense, offense, crazy hours, sleepless nights, flights, preparation and injuries. But it was fun. I did it for the people of Israel and for the flag. It’s the most enjoyable thing I’ve ever done. That’s it, it was for our people, for Israel.

“I learned that it’s the heart that actually plays, not always the talent. We’re not the strongest or the most skilled team, but we have something beautiful. We have the Israeli heart, the fight, the humility.”

Avdija added, “The hard work and the desire to play, that’s something bigger than basketball. Especially in our country, in these moments, it was a privilege. What will be in three or four years, well, we have a very talented generation growing up and doing great things. It’s fun to see and I believe we’ll elevate Israeli basketball and it will become much better.”

After the game, Giannis Antetokounmpo came over to console Avdija, “Giannis gave me some very kind and moving compliments. These are compliments from a player who works very hard and has a great reputation in the league. I won’t go into details about what he said, but it was definitely emotional. Every player has his own qualities. I have a long road ahead and the potential to be much better than I am. I believe that 100%. The comparisons aren’t relevant, we had a good tournament and I did everything I could.”