Who is Deni Avdija?

As Deni Avdija Prepares To Make History, He Finds Himself Caught In-Between Two Nations

One can learn a lot about a nineteen year old from their Instagram profile. On Deni Avdija’s, just underneath the inspirational hashtag #livingthedream, and right above pictures of the not-so-average teenager preparing for his next career move, lie two national flags: first Serbia’s, then Israel’s.

Well…that depends if you’re reading from left-to-right or not.

As a consensus top-five pick in this Wednesday’s 2020 NBA draft, the 6’9” Deni has the chance to make history as the highest Israeli, Jewish, and perhaps even Middle Eastern pick ever. With only two Jewish Israeli picks ever playing in the NBA before him, Deni is — simply put — a big deal, as well as a major source of kvelling for global Jewry.

But with a name like Deni Avdija, he’s not like other typical Jewish Israeli athletes — at least, not exactly. Born to a Jewish Israeli mother and Muslim Serbian father who, as a former NBA prospect and Yugoslavian national team player, spent years in the Israeli leagues, Deni’s mixed roots leave him somewhere between these two small war-torn nations, both of which happen to be unlikely global basketball hotbeds.