Two Israeli basketball players made history on Wednesday when they were picked by major teams in the 2020 NBA Draft.
The Washington Wizards selected Deni Avdija with the No. 9 overall pick. Avdija's NBA prospects were highly-touted prior to the draft's announcement and the Wizards' move makes him the first top-10 NBA draft pick from Israel.
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The 6-foot-9 Avdija, who plays the small forward and power forward positions and has spent the past two seasons with Maccabi Tel-Aviv, a Euroleague power, is considered the most promising Israeli player in a decade.
According to CBS Sports, the Washington Wizards won't need him to be a primary creator with Bradley Beal and John Wall in place, but his secondary creation and defense should be important.
DENI!!! 🇮🇱
Welcome to D.C.! #WizDraft | @GEICO pic.twitter.com/fsZ6zN8bqO
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) November 19, 2020
Another Israeli player also made it into the big leagues overnight, as the Boston Celtics' 47th and final pick of the 2020 NBA draft was Hapoel Tel Aviv point guard Yam Madar.
The 6-foot-3 Madar, who has yet to turn 20, is a 6'3 Hapoel Tel Aviv floor general known for his passing. He most recently won the 2019-20 Most Improved Player Award.
With the 47th pick, the Boston Celtics select Yam Madar ☘️ pic.twitter.com/M2Sxt8k5xK
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 19, 2020
There have only been two other Israeli players in the NBA – Omri Casspi and Gal Mekel.
In a statement to the press after his draft pick, Avdija said, "For me just to represent my country and to make history, that's a blessing. I have the whole nation behind me. I hope I'm going to represent it well."
As for the idea of inspiring young Israelis to pursue basketball, he said: "I'm just glad they have somebody to look at and learn (from) – and just be motivated to see that us being a small country doesn't mean that we can't do big things."
Speaking to Israeli media, Madar called the night "a dream come true," saying, "I'm proud of my family, proud of everyone who is with me who knew how to bring me to this point, who knew how to give me warmth and love even in difficult times.
"Other than getting picked I wanted to find myself on the right team," he continued. "Boston was a great choice for us and I'm very happy it worked out."
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