Avdija becomes 2nd Israeli-born player to grab 1,000 rebounds originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
What was a game to forget for the Washington Wizards, a tough loss at home to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night, turned out to be quite a memorable one for Deni Avdija.
During the third quarter, Avdija grabbed his 1,000th career rebound, making him the second Israeli-born player in NBA history to grab 1,000 boards. In this category, Avdija sits behind only Omri Casspi, who grabbed 2,355 rebounds in his 12-year NBA career.
There have been a handful of Jewish players in the NBA over the years including Dolph Schayes, Larry Brown, Amar’e Stoudemire, Jordan Farmar and Art Heyman. However, since 1946, there have been just seven players in the NBA who were born in Israel.
As an Israeli player, Avdija is just one of five to ever be drafted into the NBA. Omri Casspi, who was the first ever Israeli player to be selected in the first round, went 23rd overall in the 2009 NBA Draft to the Sacramento Kings.
Avdija has been making history ever since he was drafted by the Wizards. He became the highest-ever drafted Israeli player when he was selected as the ninth overall pick in the 2020 draft. Avdija is currently the only active player in the NBA from Israel and the only active Jewish player on a roster.
Before the end of his career, Avdija has a chance to set several statistical records for Israeli-born players. Here is where he stands in other notable stat categories in NBA history among Israeli-born players:
Games Played:
1. Omri Casspi (588), 2009-2021
2. Michael Holten (325), 1983-1992
3. Deni Avdija (187), 2020-present
Points:
1. Omri Casspi (4,642)
2. Michael Holten (2,016)
3. Deni Avdija (1,480)
Rebounds:
1. Omri Casspi (2,355)
2. Deni Avdija (1,001)
3. Michael Holten (459)
Assists:
1. Michael Holten (977)
2. Omri Casspi (662)
3. Deni Avdija (358)
Steals:
1. Omri Casspi (362)
2. Michael Holten (208)
3. Deni Avdija (137)
Blocks:
1. Omri Casspi (134)
2. Deni Avdija (85)
3. Michael Holten (30)
4. Joe Alexander (30)
Field goals:
1. Omri Casspi (1,718-3,782)
2. Michael Holten (796-1,805)
3. Deni Avdija (540-1,267)
Field goal percentage:
1. T.J. Leaf (49.2)
2. Omri Casspi (45.4)
3. Michael Holten (44.1)
4. Deni Avdija (42.6)
3-pointers:
1. Omri Casspi (493-1,339)
2. Deni Avdija (180-582)
3. Michael Holten (28-109)
3-point percentage:
1. Omri Casspi (36.8)
2. T.J. Leaf (34.1)
3. Deni Avdija (30.9)
Free throws:
1. Omri Casspi (713-1,052)
2. Michael Holten (396-491)
3. Deni Avdija (220-298)
Free throw percentage:
1. Michael Holten (80.7)
2. Omri Casspi (67.8)
3. Deni Avdija (73.8)
