{"id":26673,"date":"2020-12-29T03:17:29","date_gmt":"2020-12-29T03:17:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/?p=26673"},"modified":"2024-11-03T09:31:19","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T09:31:19","slug":"wizards-rookie-deni-avdija-and-jewish-visibility-in-the-nba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/en\/wizards-rookie-deni-avdija-and-jewish-visibility-in-the-nba\/","title":{"rendered":"Wizards Rookie Deni Avdija and Jewish visibility in the NBA"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Rebecca Weinberg<\/a> – Special to The Sports Rabbi<\/strong><\/p>\n

Deni Avdija\u2019s entrance to the NBA with the Washington Wizards has brought excitement from fans across the world, but for the Jewish community, it holds a special importance. As a Jewish player from northern Israel, Avdija brings a Jewish visibility to the league that rarely occurred in earlier years. His outgoing personality and fearless attitude further enhance these new opportunities to bring light to Jewish culture and traditions. This visibility is additionally leading to awareness of larger audiences, especially the Israeli fanbase. As an international player, he draws from a unique group of fans who are eager to follow his journey.
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Photo Credit: Washington Wizards<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

While he\u2019s not the first Jewish Israeli player to compete in the NBA, he\u2019s the first to be drafted in the top ten after the Wizards selected him at number nine in the draft. He follows in the footsteps of a powerful but particularly small group of Israeli and Jewish NBA players, most notably Omri Casspi, but none have commanded the same hype that has accompanied Avdija. The Wizards have capitalized on that attention, especially through social media, and are continuously working to provide more welcoming spaces for Israeli and Jewish fans.<\/p>\n

Avdija has been just as excited to share his background with the team and league as the fans are to witness it. In a press conference during the NBA Combine, he remarked how grateful he was for the opportunity to represent his community. \u201cAny time you can make history or any kind of good thing to represent the Jewish community and the state of Israel, that\u2019s an honor for me,\u201d says Avdija. Recently, the Wizards have been using their large social media presence to show appreciation for him and his openness to teach about his heritage by posting Jewish-related content and even using Hebrew backgrounds for Avdija\u2019s post game pressers.<\/p>\n

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Pretty cool that \u2066@WashWizards<\/a>\u2069 & \u2066@washwizardsil<\/a>\u2069 use the Hebrew lettering in the background of \ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf1 Deni Avdija\u2019s postgame zoom presser<\/p>\n

The kid impressed in his NBA debut. He can shoot pic.twitter.com\/62nMNia8Fa<\/a><\/p>\n

— Ben Raby (@BenRaby31) December 24, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n