Simply put, coming off an injury, Portland expectedly didn't give him their blessing to play, a similar situation to that of Giannis and the Greek national team, with the Greek Freak also finishing the season injured and missing the qualifiers. As Deni Avdija wrote: "I usually don't feel the need to explain myself, but this time it's important to me to say a few words. Anyone who knows me and my way with the Israeli national team knows what this shirt means to me. I came to the team when I was in pain. I came when I wasn't at 100%. I came during summers when maybe the 'right' thing for my personal career was to rest. I came even when I was facing a contract year, a time when any injury could change a career. I never looked for an excuse not to show up. On the contrary. As long as I could wear Israel's shirt and step onto the court, I was there. This time, I wanted to be there just as much. But this summer I dealt with a complex back injury. An injury that those who haven't gone through it really can't understand what it demands, and the decision not to participate in this window wasn't one I made alone. Portland wasn't willing to take a risk with my health, and in the situation that arose, I simply didn't have the option to step up and play .
Luckily for him, there's no shortage of wisdom and guidance, as he has plenty of figures willing to help him. That includes 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Damian Lillard and another FIBA star in Deni Avdija, both of which have been teaching him not only about basketball, but in adapting to life being in the league. "As a foreign player coming over, there were a lot of things that were unfamiliar to me. Being in another country, I had to adjust to many things, especially the language and everyday life," he reflected . — 8/29/2026 FIBA
El Al features Israeli NBA star Deni Avdija in its first celebrity-backed advertising campaign for the U.S. market . The campaign launched Tuesday and will continue through next spring, featuring digital, print and video ads. — 8/19/2026 Travel Weekly
Matas Buzelis: "To be honest, who I really want to work with is Deni Avdija. I've been talking with him. It's just, I feel like I was shooting too many threes. I need to get to the rim more. I want to know like how he lowers his shoulder, how he attacks. I seen him in Vegas. We're supposed to work out this weekend. He's somebody, Franz Wagner, probably him, KD, of course. That's who everybody needs to work out with, but I think right now Deni Avdija." — 7/26/2026 YouTube
Appearing on the "Ball In The Family" podcast, Chicago Bulls star Matas Buzelis recently identified several players he hopes to train with during the offseason. When asked to name his preferred workout partner, the Lithuanian forward brought up Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija. "Who I really want to work with is Deni Avdija. I've been talking with him and I just feel like I was shooting too many threes. I need to get to the rim more. I wanna know how he lowers his shoulder, how he attacks. I've seen him in Vegas, we're supposed to workout this weekend." — 7/22/2026 BasketNews
Mr. BuckBuck: Ja Morant about what he learned from his new teammates: "They ragebait a lot. They ragebait a lot, for sure. I feel it's just to turn a competitive, you know, edge, to us. Deni (Avdija) definitely number one, but he for sure like ragebait people to try to make you respond, or get you mad, so when we have to play or something, you have an edge already" . — 7/11/2026 x.com
"He's excited to be on a team with vets like Dame and Jrue, and he loves the young talent of Deni (Avdija), Scoot, (Donovan) Clingan, (Toumani) Camara … I mean, he mentioned them all by name," Nori said . As they left the restaurant, Nori asked Morant what he needed from him. How could he help? "He just said, 'Make sure I get some Trail Blazers gear as soon as possible so I can start wearing it,'" Nori said. — 7/1/2026 New York Times
ESPN's Shams Charania reported Portland acquired Ja Morant via trade from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray. According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, Portland plans on starting Morant and Damian Lillard in the backcourt alongside Deni Avdija on the wing following "a very unconventional move that the franchise believes has upside." — 6/30/2026 Bleacher Report
The question for Boston with the Blazers will be what type of package they would demand from Portland. The Blazers have plenty of intriguing young talent across their roster but they would certainly want to retain the majority of it to compete in the Western Conference even after a Brown acquisition. All-Star Deni Avdija would not be on the table in any trade talks, league sources tell MassLive and it would be tough for Boston to pry away Donovan Clingan as well. The Blazers do not have strong center depth behind Clingan with Robert Williams set to hit free agency so trading Clingan for Brown would simply create another hole on the roster. — 6/28/2026 Booth Newspapers
Trail Blazers All-Star forward Deni Avdija was not on the table in trade talks for Antetokounmpo, and he remains off the table in Brown discussions as of now, league sources told HoopsHype. Portland's other young players, such as Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, are considered available. With Boston considering center upgrades and needing to replace Brown's position if he's traded, Portland's Donovan Clingan and 2025 All-Defensive forward Toumani Camara would both be coveted by Boston. However, neither has been put on the table at this time. — 6/28/2026 HoopsHype
Lion praised Avdija for representing the State of Israel as a public figure in the US and for bringing pride to Jews and Israelis worldwide. "Deni Avdija is not only an extraordinary athlete, first and foremost, he is an ambassador at heart and in spirit for the State of Israel and our values," Lion said . — 5/29/2026 Jerusalem Post
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Deni Avdija on missing Israel's FIBA qualifiers: 'Portland wasn't willing to take a risk with my health'
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