Portland Trail Blazers Block NBA Star Deni Avdija From Israel National Team Due to Injury Insurance Issues

Israel's national basketball team advanced to the next stage of World Cup qualifiers but suffered two losses in the latest window against Germany and Croatia. Notably absent was Deni Avdija, Israel's top player, who faced criticism for not participating. The reason behind Avdija's absence stems from the collective agreement between FIBA and the NBA, which requires basketball federations to insure players' contracts while representing their countries to protect NBA teams from financial losses in case of serious injury.

Avdija has been dealing with a pre-existing back injury sustained during the last season with the Portland Trail Blazers. Insurance companies refuse to cover risks related to existing injuries, issuing a "medical exclusion" clause that insures the player only against new injuries but not aggravations of prior conditions. For Portland, this posed a significant financial risk, as any worsening of Avdija's back injury while playing for Israel would force the team to pay his substantial salary while sidelined.

Consequently, the Trail Blazers exercised their veto and did not approve Avdija's participation with the national team due to the lack of full insurance coverage. This decision explains why Israel's star player was absent from the recent qualifiers despite the team's struggles.