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Screencapture from video of Israeli singer Kobi Aflalo. (YouTube) The Washington Wizards basketball team will celebrate a Jewish heritage night on Thursday as the NBA club hosts the Los Angeles Clippers for a game that will feature an Israeli artist singing the US national anthem. Kobi Aflalo will belt out “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the start of an evening filled with fun facts about Jewish heritage and Israeli hit songs delivered during timeouts. Fans can tune in via the Wizards’ Israeli Instagram page, the official NBA website reported. There will be video messages from the Israeli embassy as well as from Israeli former NBA player Omri Casspi and players from the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball club and the Israeli National Team, the statement said. ....
188 shares Deni Avdija dribbles downcourt during a game against the Boston Celtics, at TD Garden in Boston, January 8, 2021. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images via JTA) JTA The Washington Wizards are all in on Deni Avdija content. The team, which last year made Avdija the highest-ever Israeli NBA draft pick, now has an Instagram account in Hebrew to cater to Israeli fans. It’s a first for an NBA team and adds to the team’s Hebrew Twitter account. Yaron Talpaz, formerly the chief marketing officer for the Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball club, will lead the Wizards’ Hebrew coverage, the team said in a news release. ....
He grew up in his mother’s hometown of Kibbutz Beit Zera in Israel’s north. His father, Zufer Avdija, played for the Yugoslavian national basketball team and later moved to Israel, where he played professionally for several domestic clubs. On Thursday, Avdija participated in a virtual Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony organized by the Israeli embassy in Washington, during which he belted out blessings and sang while in his Wizards uniform. Happy #Hanukkah! To help us celebrate, our virtual menorah will be lit by some of the people that have helped bring light to our world in 2020. Lighting the candles for the 1st night is none other than Deni Avdija of the @WashWizards, the highest-drafted Israeli in NBA history! pic.twitter.com/dfj1RUgto0 ....