The Exchange
The uncomfortable moment unfolded with an Israeli female reporter:Reporter: “Dani, first of all…”Avdija: “Deni.” (firm correction)Reporter: “Deni. Sorry.”Moments later, an Israeli male reporter stepped up and made the exact same mistake:Male Reporter: “Dani, are you aware of…”Avdija: “Deni.”Male Reporter: “Deni. Sorry. With Segol.”
For context, “Segol” refers to the Hebrew vowel sign that produces the short ‘e’ sound the subtle difference between “Deni” and “Dani.” In modern Hebrew, the two names are written almost identically.
Still, awkward doesn’t begin to cover it.
The Performance
Avdija, who surprisingly finished ahead of both LeBron James and Kevin Durant in All-Star fan voting, played eight minutes in the opener and scored five points for Team World.
Despite the box score, Avdija was proud to be there:
“I think there were great players that didn’t get chosen for the All-Star game. Obviously there’s a lot of talent in this league that could have been instead of me.
The Bigger Picture
Avdija has never been shy about standing his ground. He’s faced criticism before both on and off the court and has consistently pushed back when he feels disrespected.
This time, the disrespect was unintentional. Just a pair of reporters who couldn’t quite get the name right.But Avdija made sure they left knowing exactly who he is.
Deni. With a short ‘e.’ Not Dani.Got it?
