Israeli forward Deni Avdija’s rapid rise in the NBA continued Thursday with another high-profile milestone, as the U.S. basketball site The Ringer ranked him No. 17 in its updated list of the league’s top 100 players.
The ranking underscores a clear shift in Avdija’s status, from a promising young player to an established star in the world’s top basketball league. His climb has been steep over a short period: Avdija was ranked 61st in June, rose to 53rd in October, climbed to 40th in November, reached 25th in December and has now broken into the top 20.
Avdija’s placement puts him ahead of several prominent NBA names, including Alperen Sengun of Houston, Chet Holmgren of Oklahoma City, James Harden of the Los Angeles Clippers, Jalen Williams of Oklahoma City, Karl-Anthony Towns of New York, Joel Embiid of Philadelphia and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.
At the top of The Ringer’s list, there were no changes. Denver’s Nikola Jokic remained ranked No. 1, followed by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Oklahoma City, Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers, Giannis Antetokounmpo of Milwaukee and Victor Wembanyama of San Antonio.
The Ringer’s top 20 ranking placed Avdija at No. 17, between Jamal Murray of Denver at No. 16 and Sengun at No. 18. The list also included Anthony Edwards, Stephen Curry, Donovan Mitchell, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
Avdija’s rise has drawn growing attention in Israel, where he is widely regarded as the country’s leading basketball player and a symbol of Israeli success on the NBA stage.