Weekside: A weekly section by Ehrle Weisberg

"For us, he is almost a Serbian": Dani Avdia's private derby

The legacy left by his father in Belgrade, the relationship with Nikola Jokic, the choice of Israel ("We don't hold grudges") and the connection to the Medar Sea.

Basketball people in Serbia are particularly interested in tonight's game at 22:00 because of Avdia: how do things look from their point of view, and how would they use the star of the team?

Ehrle Weisberg

06/09/2022

Tuesday, September 6, 2022, 1:30 p.m

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Shabbat reception of the Israel national team (Basketball Association)

Yesterday (Monday), while the Israeli players suffered their first loss in EuroBasket 2022, it was exactly 15 years since the team's last victory over Serbia;

So, on 5 September 2007, the blue-and-whites bounced back from a heavy defeat to David Blatt's Russia to stun the crumbling and embattled opposition led by Darko Milicic and Milan Gurovic, who were ignominiously knocked out in the first leg.

This time, it seems, the task will be much more difficult, and not only because the opponent has cruised to three victories by astronomical margins so far.

Featuring NBA MVP Nikola Jokic alongside Euroleague basket king Vasilija Micic, perhaps it's not so surprising that coach Svetislav Pesic chose on his own initiative to drop names like Milos Teodosic and Nemanja Bijlica.

Nikola Milotinov joined his friends in Prague yesterday, and is expected to be included in the squad tonight at 22:00, however it is not certain that he will make his tournament debut against Israel.

"His father is a legend here. Everyone knows that they are both Red Star fans, and that Danny is connected to our country."

Zofi and Dani Avdia

From the point of view of the Serbs, most of the interest in this game is centered on one player, precisely from the opposing side - Dani Avdia.

"All the journalists who came here submitted requests to the Israel Basketball Association to interview Danny," says "Sportsky Journal" commentator, Milo Nesovic, in a conversation from Prague.

"Let's face it - without him, the game against Israel would have been much less interesting. In our eyes, Abdija does not deserve the status of a Serbian national team player, but he is the closest one can get to it. His father is a legend here, and everyone in Serbia knows that both are fans of Red Star Belgrade, and that Danny is related to our country. He is a good friend of Jokic, and is in contact with Bogdan Bogdanovic, so basically he is quite Serbian," Nesovic laughs.

Zufi, Danny's father, gave an interview to Nesovic yesterday and was defined as an "ambassador of ex-Yugoslav basketball in Israel".

The professional director of Bnei Herzliya said that "Being a player's father is much more difficult than playing, and the smartest thing I did was to keep quiet. While other parents intervened, I just watched from the sidelines, and that was the right move."

By the way, he also talked about football and admitted that "secretly in my heart I wanted the Red Star to beat Maccabi Haifa and advance to the Champions League, but I'm happy that half an hour's drive from home I can watch Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Nefika Lisbon play."

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The photos in the album: Zofi and Dani Avdia in the uniform of the Red Star in Belgrade (photo: courtesy of the family)

- How big of an impact did Zuffy leave on your basketball?

"I had the honor and the pleasure of meeting Zupi this weekend. He is a walking encyclopedia of former Yugoslavian basketball. He played with the team in the World Cup and served for many years as captain of the Red Star, and few players can boast of such a title. Only the best."

"Danny's decision didn't surprise anyone. It was logical and natural. He grew up in Israel, his friends are there, and I don't think any special rivalry is expected to develop between him and our players. No one holds a grudge against him for the choice he made. It's great that your team appears with a star I see how the Israeli media covers his career closely and with a lot of passion, which is beautiful in my eyes.

"Obviously he's not at the level of Jokic, Luka Doncic or Giannis Antetokounmpo, and I hope he gets there one day, but I think these guys have surprised even themselves. They're so good and so rare, and it's crazy that they're all playing At the same time and in the same era, and they all make up the NBA selections, win MVP titles and now compete for the same EuroBasket trophy. For Danny, the mere fact that he plays against them and is on the same court with them, can help him improve."

Is the best friend of the Israeli star not preparing trash talk for him?

Nikola Jokic with Ognyain Yermaz (Photo: GettyImages, Srdjan Stevanovic)

The Israeli angle that interests the Serbian media has another face, which corresponds to the name Yam Medar, played by Partisan Belgrade.

"The Serbian journalists asked to interview Yam as well," Nesovic smiles.

"I know I'm repeating myself, but that's the truth. He's a very interesting player, even beyond the fact that he's a partisan."

"I will not pretend to analyze the situation as an expert on Israeli basketball, but I will answer as a fan. I think that your team should be based on Avdia and Madar together. The professional team should place Danny in a position from which he can play against anyone. He is an NBA player who has already faced the best basketball players in the world , and it is important that he has a quality partner and a good friend in the guard position.

"The other players should give Danny the space to play. If they enjoy it, he will too, because he has never been a player who chases his personal statistics. On the contrary, he is one who likes to improve those around him. It's fun to see great players as they grow and improve, and there is no There is no doubt that Danny is a great player for Israel."

• sport

• basketball

• Israeli basketball teams

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• Zoper Abdia

• Danny Avdia

• Israel basketball team

• Serbian basketball team