Deni Avdija is a basketball player from Israel and Serbia, currently on the team of the Washington Wizards in the NBA, where he plays the position of small forward.
He initially had no interest in basketball until his friend, Itamar Vule, analyzed Deni’s height and convinced him to try it out.
From playing in his hometown club, Bnei Herzeliya, Deni moved to play for Maccabi Tel Aviv’s junior team in 2013, at age 12. His shine came four years later in 2017 when he joined the team’s senior list.
His early days in basketball were full of potential;
- Firstly, He was the youngest player to play in Maccabi Tel Aviv’s senior team at the age of 16.
- He was the Youngest player ever to win the Isreal Basketball Premier League MVP award.
- He led the team to a Ligat HaAl championship.
Avdija moved to the NBA by joining the Washington Wizards after being selected in the draft. He proudly represents the Israeli senior national basketball team alongside his NBA career.
He showcased his talent by securing two gold medals for Israel in youth competitions, becoming the most valuable player at the 2019 FIBA U20 European Championship.
Deni Avdija Net Worth
Deni Avdija earns most of his money from playing basketball. He signed a four-year deal worth $20,341,348 with the Washington Wizards.
This contract ensures he gets all that money, with an average yearly salary of $5,085,337.
In the upcoming 2023-24 season, he’ll get $6,263,188 as his base salary, and his cap hit and dead cap value will also be $6,263,188.
Compared to last year, he’s making around 27.4 percent more. In addition, he has an estimated net worth of $5 million.
Profile Summary
| Net Worth | $5 million |
| Name | Deni Avdija |
| Age | 23 years old |
| Date of Birth | January 3, 2001 |
| Place of Birth | kibbutz Beit Zera, Israel |
| Nationality | Israeli Kosovar Serbian |
| Profession | Basketball player |
| Parents | Father: Zufer Avdija Mother: Sharon Artzi |
| Girlfriend | Naama Carme |
| Height | 6’9″ 2.057 m 205.7 cm |
| Weight | 95.3 kg 210 lbs |
| Socials |
Deni Avdija Biography
Deni Avdija was born in Kibbutz Beit Zera, Israel on January 3, 2001. He is 23 years old.
His athletic spirit is not far-fetched. His mom, Sharon Artzi, Jewish Israel, used to play track and basketball. His dad, Zufer Avdija, a famous basketball coach, from Serbia and Israel, played basketball for Yugoslavia during the 1980s before moving to Israeli teams.
Despite having a “basketball dad”, Deni grew up being passionate about football. It took his friend’s persuasion to shift his interest from football to basketball. In 2013, he became part of the junior teams at Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he played under the guidance of coach Shai Omer.
Avdija successfully led Maccabi Tel Aviv to win three straight Israeli youth state championships from 2017 to 2019.
Additionally, in August 2018, he took part in Basketball Without Borders Europe held in Belgrade, where he stood out and earned the camp’s Most Valuable Player title
Professional Career
In November 2017, Deni Avdija started his professional basketball journey with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel. At only 16 years old, he became the youngest player ever in his team’s history.
Shortly after, he played his first game in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, getting on the court for a few minutes. A year later, at 17, he joined the Euro League, scoring two points in a game against Fenerbahçe.
In total Avdija has a total of 34 career appearances in the Euro League while starting in 5 of those games played during his time with the Maccabi Tel Aviv.
He also has an NBA appearance of 212 while starting in 80 of the games he played for the Washington Wizards which he signed with in year 2020 and still currently plays for presently.
By October 2019, at 18 years old, Avdija secured a starting position in the Euro League, contributing six points and three rebounds in a match against Valencia.
The following year January 11, 2020, saw him with high career performance as he helped to secure a 94 – 83 win over Hapoel Holon. The year became a good year for him as he became Israeli player of the month in the Israeli Basketball Premier League.
During the game between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Luigi Datome, his dunk the game would later be named Euro League Magic Moment of the Season in July 2020
During the COVID-19 pandemic Avdija was deferred for 3 months after his return in June he displayed impressive skills against Maccabi Ashdod.
The following month he helped Maccabi Tel Aviv advance to the Israeli Basketball Premier League Final Four after securing a win against Hapoel Tel Aviv.
He became the youngest player to win the Israeli League MVP award. Selected as the ninth overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards, Avdija joined the team in December 2020.
His NBA journey featured notable moments, such as a career-high of 20 points in January 2021, an ankle fracture in April of the same year, and later, setting new personal bests in rebounds and points in 2023.
Israeli National team
Deni Avdija even though he could rightfully play for Serbia’s National team due to his father being of Serbian heritage decided to play for Israel instead because he had friends in Israel and was used to the language.
Avdija played for Israel and in 2018 he participated in the FIBA U20 European Championship. That same year he helped Israel get a gold medal.
The following month he played in the FIBA U18 Championship Division B which took place in Skopje but he appeared tired due to his previous tournament participation.
However, in that match, he still managed to perform well averaging 17.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.
Avdija kept succeeding in 2019, leading Israel to another gold medal at the FIBA U20 European Championship.
He got the MVP award, and for the senior team, he made his debut in 2019 and continued to show his skills in 2020 during the EuroBasket 2021 qualifiers, notably scoring 21 points and grabbing eight rebounds in a single game.
Personal Life
The basketball player from Israel might be in a relationship, according to rumors, with an Israeli named Naama Carmel.
The exact start of their relationship isn’t known, but rumors began online when Deni shared a photo of them together on his Instagram account in 2022.
Deni Avdija House Robbery
Avdija suffered a break-in during his time as a rookie although when this incident occurred he kept it private. Due to Antetokounmpo’s motivation, he opened up saying his house was robbed when he left his parking lot door open.
He said despite his intuition telling him that something was wrong his tiredness got the better of him and the next morning he saw that roughly 80% of items on his main floor were missing, and the worst part was his brand-new Mercedes Benz GLE had also been stolen.