LeBron James hopes to play ball in Israel one day

NBA superstar LeBron James said on Sunday, “Hopefully, someday I can make it over” to Israel.

The NBA’s all-time leading scorer, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, was asked by an Israeli reporter what message he has for his Israeli fans, as well as for his opinion of Deni Avdija, who made history on the same day by being the first-ever Israeli player to play in an NBA All-Star Game.

James, 41, replied, “If I have fans over there, I’ve never been there … , then I hope you’ve been following my career; I hope I inspire people over there to not only want to be great in sports but to want to be better in general in life.”

One of basketball’s greatest players, with four championships under his belt, added that “I’ve heard nothing but great things” about Israel.

In October 2023, after the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, James voiced support for Israel on Instagram.

On Avdija, James remarked that he considered the Israeli an All-Star player. “I mean, he is an All-Star. He’s playing exceptional basketball.”

The 25-year-old Israeli player started on Sunday for Team World in the All-Star Game tournament at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.

Playing for the team with foreign NBA stars, Avdija totaled five points, three assists and two rebounds in two 12-minute mini-games that his team lost to the USA Stars and USA Stripes, respectively.

Speaking afterwards about the experience, Avdija thanked his Israeli fans who woke up in the middle of the night to watch him play.

“I know it’s important [to sleep] as someone who likes to sleep, but I want to thank you. Many of them have voted for me [to feature in the All-Star tournament], are following me, and [it feels like] I’m playing with the people of Israel with me on the basketball court,” he told Israeli reporters in Hebrew.

The Israeli-born forward plays for the Portland Trail Blazers. In December, he became Israel’s all-time NBA scoring leader, surpassing former Sacramento Kings forward Omri Casspi’s career total of 4,642 points during a game against the Detroit Pistons, scoring 35 points.

Avdija is averaging 25.8 points per game this season for the 9-14 Trail Blazers, ranking 14th in the NBA.

He was drafted by the Washington Wizards in 2020 and joined the Trail Blazers in 2024. Before moving to the NBA, the small forward, nicknamed “Turbo,” played for Maccabi Tel Aviv for four years.

In a separate incident, filmmaker Spike Lee was seen at the courtside at the Intuit Dome wearing an anti-Israel outfit. He wore a black sweater with a keffiyeh print on it, together with a purse strap that displayed the colors of the Palestinian flag with a red triangle—the symbol that Hamas uses to document its killings of Israelis.