Deni Avdija Addresses National Team Criticism: Commitment and Injury Explained

Deni Avdija has heard the noise. This time, he chose to answer it.

Under fire in Israel for missing recent World Cup qualifying windows, the Portland Trail Blazers forward released a detailed statement explaining why he stayed away from the national team and why, in his eyes, that decision never had anything to do with commitment.

“I came when I wasn’t at 100%”

Avdija began by reminding critics of his history with the national team, painting a picture of a player who has consistently shown up, even when common sense said he shouldn’t.

“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 has followed his international career knows the pattern he was pointing to.

He talked about joining Israel while in pain. Playing when he wasn’t fully fit. Spending summers on national duty when others in his position might have chosen to rest and protect their NBA careers. Even in a contract year, when a single injury can reshape a future, he still reported.

“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 framed his message: this absence, he insisted, was not about preference. It was about his back — and about Portland.

A complex injury and a hard stop from Portland

The Israeli Basketball Association had already announced before the August window that Portland had refused to release Avdija. The warning signs came even earlier. In July, team manager Motti Daniel revealed that the forward was dealing with a back injury and that the Blazers had vetoed his participation.

Avdija confirmed all of it.

“This time I wanted to be there just as much,” he 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 key line followed: “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.”

For NBA teams, a player’s long-term health is an asset to be guarded. For national teams and their fans, that caution can feel like interference. Avdija found himself right in the middle of that tension — and, this time, on the side of the franchise that pays his salary and controls his medical clearance.

Facing the criticism head-on

The backlash in Israel was inevitable. A national team star missing crucial qualifiers is always going to draw heat. Avdija didn’t dodge that reality.

“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 he drew a sharp line.

“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 was not just a clarification of medical facts. It was a defense of identity. He has long been portrayed as one of the faces of Israeli basketball, a player who grew up in the system and carried the jersey with pride. To him, questioning his desire to play for Israel cuts deeper than questioning his form or his game.

Eyes on a return

The statement closed not with anger, but with a promise.

“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.”

The message was clear: this was a pause, not a break-up. The Blazers’ medical staff will dictate the pace of his recovery, but Avdija has nailed his colours to the mast. When his back allows it and his NBA team signs off, he expects to be back in blue and white.

The next time Israel lines up for a major campaign, the real question won’t be about his commitment. It will be whether his body — and his club — finally let him prove it again on the court.