Deni Avdija being named an NBA All-Star reserve is an unbelievable achievement in the mind of every Israeli basketball fan. This is a dream come true for many — a dream that became realistic and even a must-happen during his breakout season — but something that in his first five seasons in the NBA never came across as something that was going to be real.

Deni’s special connection with Israeli basketball dates to his teenage years. In 2018, in his first steps as a professional with Maccabi Tel Aviv, Deni led Israel’s under-20 team to a historic gold medal in the European championship. The following year, the competition made its way to Israel, and with the love from the home crowd, Deni made it back-to-back titles. One of the scouts who came to watch him then was Mike Schmitz, now the Portland Trail Blazer’s assistant general manager. He knew then that Deni was a special talent — though maybe not this special.

Before Deni got drafted, the dreams were big. Israel never had an NBA prospect at his level, and many thought he would make the cut as a top-five pick. Some even wished that the Golden State Warriors would select him at the number-two pick. The optimists predicted that Deni’s ceiling would be making an All-Star team one day or being a borderline All-Star player.

Somehow, he fell to the ninth pick with Washington, who........

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