Deni Avdija Opens Up About Missing National Team Duty
Deni Avdija has never been shy about what the blue-and-white jersey means to him. This week, he decided he couldn’t stay quiet about why he wasn’t wearing it.
Under fire in Israel for missing the recent World Cup qualifying windows, the Portland forward released a detailed statement explaining his absence, laying the responsibility squarely on a serious back injury and his NBA team’s refusal to clear him.
“I came when I wasn’t at 100%”
Avdija opened with a reminder of his track record.
“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 pointing back to the summers he did show up, sometimes against his own interests.
Anyone who has followed his rise with the national team knows the story: he reported while hurt, he played when rest would have been the smarter move for his NBA career, and he suited up even in a contract year, when one bad landing can alter a livelihood.
“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.”
This time, he insisted, the desire was the same. His body and his club were not.
Portland’s veto and a complex injury
The first warning signs appeared early in the summer. In July, national team manager Motti Daniel already revealed that Avdija was dealing with a back injury and that Portland had vetoed his participation.
When the roster for the August window was announced, the Israeli Basketball Association made it clear: Portland had not approved Avdija’s release. He never joined the squad for the window that ended Sunday.
Avdija spelled out why.
“This time I wanted to be there just as much. 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. 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.”
The message was blunt. This wasn’t about preference. It was about medical reality and an NBA franchise drawing a hard line.
Answering the criticism
The backlash at home came anyway. A national team star absent in crucial qualifiers will always spark debate. Avdija didn’t try to silence it. He did, however, draw a clear boundary.
“I understand disappointment. I understand criticism. When you represent a country and there are expectations of you, that is part of it and I accept it,” he wrote.
Then came the point he refused to concede.
“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.”
No counterattack. No naming names. Just a reminder that commitment is measured over years, not one window.
Eyes on a return
Avdija closed his statement with a simple wish: to get back on the floor, and to do it in the shirt that sparked this entire debate.
“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.”
For now, his back and Portland’s medical staff dictate the terms. The real verdict on his loyalty will come later—when he’s healthy, the next window arrives, and the Israeli jersey is hanging in his locker again.
