As the Portland Trail Blazers took on the Los Angeles Clippers in their preseason opener on Friday, one notable absence spoke volumes louder than any slam dunk could.
Prior to the game, Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija announced that he would not play due to the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.
“When management told me about the game, it was clear to me from the first moment that I would tell them I’m not playing,” Avdija wrote in Hebrew on Instagram. “I feel like the best and most correct way to start the season will be by respecting Jewish tradition and in unity with my brothers and sisters in Israel and in the world.”
Portland acquired Avdija in a July trade with the Washington Wizards, marking a new chapter in the young forward’s career. Standing at 6-foot-9, Avdija entered the NBA as the ninth overall pick in the 2020 draft. Prior to the trade, he secured a $55 million contract extension, keeping him in the league through the 2027-28 season.
“Basketball has been an integral part of my life from the day I can remember … but specifically, after this year that we’ve experienced, I felt that there is something more important than basketball,” he added. “Am Yisrael Chai.”
Avdija joins a select group of Jewish athletes who have made headlines for choosing faith over sports on Yom Kippur.
Legendary Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax set the gold standard when he declined to pitch Game 1 of the 1965 World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur. The Dodgers lost that game but went on to win the series, with Koufax named Series MVP after winning games 5 and 7.
Decades later, Shawn Green of the Los Angeles Dodgers followed in Koufax’s footsteps. In 2001, Green sat out a game on Yom Kippur during a tight pennant race, despite being in the midst of a career year.
In the NFL, New England Patriots linebacker Andre Tippett made a similar choice in 1987 by missing a Yom Kippur game against the Buffalo Bills. Although Tippett’s decision was less publicized than those of Koufax and Green, for aspiring young Jewish athletes it meant the world.
Am Yisrael Chai
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