Deni Avdija Addresses Absence from National Team: A Commitment to Israel
Deni Avdija has never been shy about what the blue-and-white jersey means to him. This time, though, he felt he had to spell it out.
Under fire for missing Israel’s recent World Cup qualifying windows, the Portland Trail Blazers forward released a detailed statement explaining why he stayed away — and why, in his eyes, he didn’t really have a choice.
“I came when I wasn’t at 100%”
Avdija’s absence from the August window, which ended Sunday, had already been framed by the Israeli Basketball Association as a club decision. When the roster dropped, officials made it clear: Portland had not approved his participation. Back in July, team manager Motti Daniel had gone further, saying Avdija was dealing with a back injury and that the NBA franchise had vetoed any national-team involvement.
Still, the criticism rolled in. So Avdija answered.
“I usually don’t feel the need to explain myself, but this time it is important to me to say a few words,” he wrote, before reminding fans of his track record with the national side.
“Anyone who knows me and my path with the Israeli national team knows what this jersey means to me. I came to the national team when I was in pain. I came when I wasn’t at 100%. I came during summers when it might have been most ‘right’ for my personal career to rest. I also came when I was facing a contract year, a period when any injury could change a career. I never looked for an excuse not to come. On the contrary. As long as I could wear the Israeli jersey and step onto the court, I was there.”
That history matters to him. It’s his answer to those who suggested he chose club over country when things got complicated.
A back injury and a hard stop from Portland
The core of the issue, Avdija stressed, is his back.
“This time I wanted to be there just as much,” he continued. “But this summer I dealt with a complex back injury. An injury that anyone who hasn’t experienced it cannot truly understand what it requires.”
This wasn’t a minor strain or something he could tape up and push through. Portland, holding his NBA future in their hands, stepped in and drew the line.
“And the decision not to participate in this window was not a decision I made alone. Portland was not willing to take a risk with my health, and in the situation that was created, I simply had no option to go out and play.”
For national teams around the world, this tug-of-war with NBA clubs is familiar. For a fan base watching its star from afar, it can feel like abandonment. Avdija knows that, and he chose to confront it directly.
“One thing I am not willing to let anyone question”
The 23-year-old didn’t dodge the frustration coming from supporters. He leaned into it.
“I understand disappointment. I understand criticism,” he wrote. “When you represent a country and there are expectations of you, that is part of it and I accept it.”
Then he drew his line in bold.
“But one thing I am not willing to let anyone question: My commitment to the national team and my country. I don’t need to say how much I care. I think I have proven it time and again through my actions.”
That word — commitment — sits at the heart of his message. For Avdija, the years of showing up hurt, showing up when rest made more sense for his NBA career, are the evidence. The back injury and the club’s veto, he argues, are the exception, not the rule.
Eyes on a return
He closed with a simple wish: to get healthy and to be back in the only jersey that seems to silence the noise.
“There is nothing I want more than to be healthy, return to the court, and wear the Israeli jersey again. And until then, even when I can’t be on the floor, my heart is there.”
The debate around his absence may linger. The next time Israel name a squad, his name will again be the first one fans look for.
When it finally appears again, the conversation changes from explanations to expectations — and that, more than anything, is where Avdija clearly wants it to be.
