Deni Avdija

Deni Avdija

Avdija with the Washington Wizards in 2022
No. 8 – Washington Wizards
Position	Small forward
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(2001-01-03) 3 January 2001 (age 23) Beit Zera, Israel
Nationality	Israeli / Serbian
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight	215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
NBA draft	2020: 1st round, 9th overall pick
Selected by the Washington Wizards
Playing career	2017–present
Career history
2017–2020	Maccabi Tel Aviv
2020–present	Washington Wizards
Career highlights and awards
3× Israeli League champion (2018–2020) Israeli League MVP (2020) All-Israeli League First Team (2020) EuroLeague Magic Moment (2020) FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship MVP (2019) Israeli League Cup winner (2017)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals Men's basketball Representing  Israel FIBA U20 European Championship 2018 Germany Team 2019 Israel Team

Deni Avdija (/ˈdɛni əvˈdijə/ DEN-ee əv-DEE-yə; Hebrew: דֶנִי אָבְדִיָה, Serbian Cyrillic: 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.^[1]

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. 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.

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. 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.