Portland Trail Blazers All-Star-in-waiting Deni Avdija is riding high through the 2025-26 NBA season. That’s the story that Jason Quick of The Athletic told today in an extensive biographical piece on Portland’s star [subscription required]. Of Avdija’s trials as a youth, Quick writes:Every day included either coaches yelling at him or players bullying him with bumps, elbows and pushes. “It all made me tough — like, really, really tough,” Avdija said. “You don’t have to love what I stand for or how I look, but if I’m a good player, give props.

Source: ABC News January 22, 2026 08:14 UTC