By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Deni Avdija is having a breakout season in the NBA, and he is expected to be an All-Star.
He talked about all this to The Athletic and also gave a very honest answer about the fact that there’s a backlash towards him because he is Israeli.
As he said on the matter: “You don’t have to love what I stand for or how I look, but if I’m a good player, give props. All this hate … for no reason. Like, I’m deciding things in the world. I’ll be honest: What do people expect me to do? This is my country, where I was born, where I grew up. I love my country; there are a lot of great things about my country”.
For Avdija, the issue of the Middle East is more than complicated, so it’s not easy for everyone to have an opinion: “Obviously, not everyone is educated and knows what is going on, and that’s what pisses me off. Because if you are educated and know what is going on, it’s fine to say what you think and say who you think is right or wrong. But if you are not educated and you are not part of the Middle East, and you don’t understand how long this goes back and understand the consequences and everything … just don’t say anything.”
Avdija is averaging 26.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg, and 6.9 asp in his sixth NBA season, his best yet, and he is also the on-court leader of the Israeli national team, reaching the Round of 16 in the recent EuroBasket.