Deni Avdija Addresses National Team Absence

Deni Avdija has heard the noise. This time, he chose not to stay silent.

Under fire in Israel for missing recent World Cup qualifying windows, the Portland forward released a detailed statement explaining why he stayed away from the national team – and why, in his view, questioning his commitment crosses a line.

“I came when I wasn’t at 100%”

Avdija has been absent from both the latest August window and the previous qualifying games, after the Israeli Basketball Association confirmed that Portland did not approve his participation. As far back as July, team manager Motti Daniel had already said Avdija was dealing with a back injury and that the NBA franchise had vetoed his involvement.

Avdija decided to lay out his side.

“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. “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.”

He reminded fans that he showed up even when it made little sense from a purely professional standpoint.

“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 is the backdrop to this summer’s absence – and to the backlash that followed.

A back injury, and a hard stop from Portland

The core of his explanation is simple: his back and his NBA team closed the door.

“This time I wanted to be there just as much,” Avdija wrote. “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.”

The wording is deliberate. This is not a minor knock or a convenient twinge. It is the sort of problem that scares NBA teams and reshapes careers.

“And the decision not to participate in this window was not a decision I made alone,” he continued. “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 a national team that has leaned heavily on him and for fans desperate for their star to lead them on the floor, that explanation may not soothe all frustration. But it makes clear where the final authority lay: with the franchise paying his salary and protecting its asset.

“One thing I am not willing to let anyone question”

The criticism, though, clearly stung. Avdija did not dodge 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 the tone hardened.

“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.”

For Avdija, this is the heart of the matter. Not minutes, not stat lines, not even results – but loyalty. He is drawing a line between debating his availability and doubting his allegiance.

Waiting for the next tip-off

The forward closed with a look ahead, not another defense of the past.

“There is nothing I want more than to be healthy, return to the court, and wear the Israeli jersey again,” he wrote. “And until then, even when I can’t be on the floor, my heart is there.”

The next time he pulls that jersey over his head, the reaction in the stands will say everything about how this summer’s tension has landed – and how much faith remains in the player who insists he has never stopped showing up when he could.