Well now, I gotta tell ya, there ain’t too many Jewish players in the NBA, but there sure are some interesting ones to keep an eye on. As of now, there’s just one Jewish fella in the league, a young man by the name of Deni Avdija. He’s a forward playin’ for the Washington Wizards, y’know? He got drafted by the Wizards back in 2020, and folks are talkin’ ‘bout him ‘cause he’s got real potential. Born up north in Israel, in a place called Beit Zera, Deni’s got that strong spirit in him, and he’s makin’ a name for himself in the NBA.
Now, Deni Avdija, he’s the only Israeli player in the whole dang league, and you wouldn’t think there’d be many Jewish folks in basketball, but there’s been a handful over the years. Now, Deni ain’t the only one right now, no sir. There’s also Domantas Sabonis from the Sacramento Kings. You might’ve heard of him too. What makes him extra special is that he’s in the process of converting to Judaism. That’s somethin’, right? That means we got not just one but two Jewish players in the NBA this year, if you count Domantas, even if he’s still workin’ on his conversion.
And, oh, let me tell you, there’s also Amari Bailey, a young fella who got drafted just this past summer. He’s got some Jewish roots too, so folks are real curious ‘bout what he’ll do on the court this season. It’s all real excitin’, ya see, when there’s more than one Jewish player in the game.
Now, if you want to look back at the good ol’ days, there’s one name that stands out in the history books. Dolph Schayes, a twelve-time All-Star, was one of the greatest Jewish basketball players ever to play the game. He’s been retired for years now, but they say he was so good that they even put him on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. That’s somethin’ folks still talk about even today.
But Deni, he’s the one we’re watchin’ now. He’s just 23 years old, and after havin’ a career year with the Washington Wizards, he’s headin’ into his fifth season in the NBA. And here’s the kicker—he was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers over the summer, so he’s got a whole new team to work with. Folks are hopin’ he can step up and really make a difference out there.
What’s even more interestin’ is that there’s a young man named Ryan Turell, who’s an Orthodox Jew, and he’s still tryin’ to make history. He’s been workin’ real hard to make it into the NBA, and people are rootin’ for him. It’d be somethin’ if he could break into the league and be another Jewish name on the roster.
Now, when we look at the 2023-2024 NBA season, you better believe that we’ll be watchin’ Deni and the other Jewish players closely. It ain’t every day you get to see folks with such a unique background representin’ in such a big way. For a lot of folks, it’s more than just a game—it’s a piece of their history, a piece of who they are. Basketball, as you know, it brings people together. No matter where you come from or what your faith is, once you’re on that court, it’s all about the game.
So, folks, keep an eye out for these Jewish players and remember, every time they take the court, they’re not just playin’ for themselves—they’re playin’ for somethin’ bigger. And who knows? Maybe one day, we’ll be talkin’ ‘bout a whole bunch of Jewish folks in the NBA, and that’ll be somethin’ to see!
Tags：[Jewish NBA players, Deni Avdija, Domantas Sabonis, Amari Bailey, Ryan Turell, NBA 2023-2024, Jewish basketball history, Dolph Schayes, Jewish sports figures, basketball players of Jewish descent]
