NBA's Deni Avdija in house as Israel opens EuroBasket training camp

Blue-and-white’s NBA star leads the way as national team gathers in Tel Aviv to begin EuroBasket journey.

The Israel basketball senior national Team officially opened up training camp for the 2025 EuroBasket as the entire squad descended upon the brand new basketball facility at Hadar Yosef in Tel Aviv for a festive meet and greet with Coach Ariel Beit Halachmi, team manager Moti Daniel, captain Tomer Ginat, and the country’s top player in the NBA, Deni Avdija.

In addition to hearing the trio’s thoughts on the upcoming tournament, the first practice session was also held, as the 18 players in camp will be pared down to a dozen prior to the competition.

“The past two years we’ve worked very hard to get to the EuroBasket,” Beit Halachmi began. “It’s a huge honor to be the head coach and to lead the national team into this tournament. I want to thank the Israel Basketball Association, Chairman Amos Frishman, and the entire staff for the work they’ve done over the last two years. We’ve hosted many games abroad, and it’s time to say thank you for all of that, and we’re excited to begin training camp, which will be five weeks in which we’ll play five exhibition games before opening up the tournament with our first game against Iceland on August 28.”

There is no question that putting together a pre-tournament program during wartime is not a simple task, and while there are always good feelings when camp begins, there is still much to do in order to be successful on the continental stage, Moti Daniel explained.

“We will have an intense month and a half coming up, and we are looking to get into the best shape that we can be in. It hasn’t been easy to get the exhibition games that we did, but it was a lot of hard work to get there. On day one, there are a lot of good thoughts and dreams. We all believe that we will have a great campaign, and we had those same thoughts in 2017. But we have to see where we will be down the road at the end of the campaign.”

The captain, Hapoel Tel Aviv forward Tomer Ginat, shared his thoughts about the EuroBasket.

Paying tribute to the Gaza hostages

“It’s super exciting to be here, but we have to remember the hostages that are still being held in Gaza. There is a sense of national pride as we represent the country, and we can’t wait to do this in Poland.

“I think that it’s a totally different national team than the ones from the past, as we have a number of new players, and we have also matured as a team over the past two years, as we have seen in the national team windows. We will do our utmost to bring pride to the country, and we have to all be together. We have five weeks until the games, and we have to come together as a well-oiled unit.”

Portland Trail Blazers star Avdija spoke about rejoining his teammates for the upcoming EuroBasket campaign.

“First of all, it’s great to see my teammates and everyone here with the national team. I want to put the NBA aside, as the Israel National Team is first and foremost at the moment, and it’s the greatest honor that a basketball player can have. I have been playing with these guys since I was 16, and we grew up together. We have an excellent team that can do some great things, and I will do everything in my power to succeed.”

Avdija is well aware that there will be plenty of Jews and Israelis, along with many of his NBA teammates and friends, who will be tuning in to watch him and the national team play.

“I am very proud to represent the national team. It is very important for us, and I think that it is more than basketball. We are a small country, and we want to win games, compete, and go as far as we can. That is a goal for us. I know that a lot of people from the United States will be following us—my teammates and my coaches, people I played with. It’s very important to me to represent and make sure that they know that our country is very good at basketball.”

One of the highlights for Avdija will be once again teaming up with his good friend Yam Madar, who plies his trade for Hapoel Tel Aviv. However, as Beit Halachmi noted, the guard and Boston Celtics draft pick is still working his way through a knee injury.

“Yam Madar is currently undergoing a special treatment and will not take part in our training sessions this coming week, but the plan is that he will join next week, and he will be with us the entire time. Anyone who knows him is aware that he will not give up on the chance of playing in the championship. We need to be careful with him and keep an eye on him, to see that he is not under any unnecessary strain.”

Beit Halachmi talked about his relationship with Avdija and how he has watched the 24-year-old flourish into a top player in the world’s greatest league.

“I know Deni from when he was just a teenager, and he was the youngest player at 16 at the championship. I saw how he grew into a man and as a well-polished player. I’m really excited to see both him and Yam Madar playing together here with the senior national team after having played for all of the youth squads. Our goal is to take all of this talent and become one team to be able to bring pride and honor to the country. I can’t wait to get going representing Israeli basketball and the country as best as possible.”

“Everyone is well aware of my relationship with Coach Ariel Beit Halachmi, and the gold medals spoke for themselves,” Avdija said. “He has been a very big part of my career. He gave me the opportunity to play with the Under-20 team even though I was the youngest player. I think it takes courage, and it takes a coach who believes in you from the start, so now to be able to come full circle with him is really the most exciting thing there is.”

There are a number of players who were not invited to be a part of the national team, including Maccabi Tel Aviv point guard Tamir Blatt, who missed many national team windows over the past two years, or who can’t take part due to other commitments, such as Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf, who were selected in the recent NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets.

“As for Tamir Blatt, I really want to put the focus on the players who are here,” a feisty Beit Halachmi said. “I want to recognize the players who were with us during the national team windows over the past two years and who played together and bonded. There are other players who were also not invited, but I want to pay respect to the 18 that are here.”

Avdija, who was at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, had the chance to see both Saraf and Wolf and knows that they will be an integral part of the national team program in the future.

“I met with Ben and Danny, and I am happy to see that they are enjoying themselves and that they are asking questions, which is good. I am happy to see that there is a new generation of Israelis in the best league in the world. I believe that this will also grow over the years.”

There is no question that playing in the NBA has helped Avdija grow into the player he is today, as he is about to begin his sixth season and has been able to learn a thing or two about basketball that he will be able to apply with the national team.

“The last few years have been very good for me in terms of maturity and learning how to be patient. I am much more patient than I was. At the basketball level, you become a better player with experience. I played in the last European Championship, and I learned what needs to be done, and also learned from things that happened during that time as well. I have been through some things in my career, and I hope that this will be reflected during the upcoming championship.”

At 30 years of age, Ginat is now one of the elder statesmen of the blue-and-white.

“I feel a bit older, and it’s true that it happened quickly. I’m 30 years old now, and we kept talking about this moment when we were younger – that one day we would lead the senior national team. The younger guys like Deni Avdija and Yam Madar lead with their character. It’s great to be part of the team, and there are some exciting times ahead of us.”

NBA star part of the collective, bringing pride and joy to Israel

There is no question that much of the success of the national team depends on its best player, who is without a doubt Deni Avdija, and he is well aware of that fact. But the national team is just that – a team – and the NBA star understands that he is one part of the collective that wants to bring pride and joy to Israel and its supporters worldwide.

“I trust the team and the players that we will play together here. We will all do everything so that the game will be a team game, that the ball will move properly. I am here just like any other national team player. I do play in the NBA, but when I play for the national team, everyone is equal, and I am here with one goal, which is to win and bring pride to the country.

“I really believe in the group of guys that are here, and I hope that we can go as deep as possible. We have a very talented squad, a great staff, and a great coach, so I see no reason that we cannot reach the later stages of the EuroBasket. These are my expectations, and I expect myself and everyone to have the same expectations. I think we really can do it.”