Israel’s Deni Avdija 7th in NBA All-Star Game voting in West, continuing breakout season

As Deni Avdija has embarked on the best season of his NBA career, racking up praise and milestones, one question keeps arising: Will he be the first Israeli All-Star ever?

On Monday, another sign emerged that the answer could be yes.

In the first round of voting for the All-Star Game, which will tip off February 15, 2026, in Los Angeles, the Portland Trail Blazers forward was seventh in the Western Conference, garnering more than 600,000 votes.

That was enough to place him ahead of NBA icons like Kevin Durant and LeBron James, who’s still on the court at age 41. The top vote-getters in the West were Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic and Steph Curry, while Giannis Antetokounmpo, Tyrese Maxey and Jalen Brunson topped the Eastern Conference tally.

It’s the latest highlight in a banner year for Avdija, 24, who is averaging above 25 points per game, more than double his career average and enough to be the Blazers’ leading scorer.

On Monday night, Avdija scored 27 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, narrowly missing out on a triple-double in Portland’s 125-122 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Earlier this month, Avdija passed Omri Casspi to become Israel’s all-time leading NBA scorer in his sixth season.

Casspi, a retired player who spent a decade in the NBA, was the first Israeli in the league. This year, two more Israeli rookies joined, both playing for the Brooklyn Nets: Danny Wolf and Ben Saraf.

Luka Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo lead their conferences in the first fan returns in NBA All-Star Voting 2026.

Fans (50% of the vote) join NBA players (25%) and a media panel (25%) in selecting five players in each conference honored as starters.

Next fan update: 1/6. pic.twitter.com/pHykl9yhTE

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 29, 2025

The All-Star Game will see two teams of American players and one team of international players competing in a round-robin tournament of four 12-minute games.

Fan balloting counts for 50 percent of the vote to determine the five starters selected from each conference, with current NBA players and a media panel accounting for the remaining 25% each. All-Stars are being selected without regard to position.

The seven reserves on each team will be selected by coaches.

Tuesday is the next “3-for-1 Day” where each fan vote, at NBA.com or on the NBA app, will count three times. The next fan voting update will be provided by the league on January 6.

Born on Kibbutz Beit Zera in northern Israel in January 2001, Avdija was destined for hoops greatness, being coached by his father Zufer, who himself played basketball in his native Yugoslavia and in Israel, where he currently heads basketball operations for Bnei Herzliya.

Avdija began his professional career when he was still a kid, playing his first games for Maccabi Tel Aviv at age 16 and leading the club to three titles in the three years he spent in the top Israeli league. He became the youngest-ever league MVP in his final year at age 19.

Avdija spent four seasons with the Washington Wizards before joining Portland at the beginning of last season. His points-per-game average has risen every year.