Israeli NBA Star Sends Get Well Message to Wounded Actor

Washington Wizards forward Deni Avdija (9) in action during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

The message written in Hebrew said, ‘For the recovery of Idan, son of Tova, Amedi.’

By Susan Tawil

An NBA star offered his support to an Israeli actor and IDF reservist wounded in the line of duty in Gaza, penning a Hebrew prayer for his recovery.

Washington Wizards forward Deni Avdija is the only Israeli player in the NBA (National Basketball Association). The 6’9” A-Grade player, in the top 40 for field goals, was #9 in the 2020 draft. Nicknamed “Turbo,” the 23-year old writes messages in Hebrew on his basketball shoes in support of Israel.

This Monday he sent get-well wishes, handwritten on his game shoes, to TV’s Fauda star Idan Amedi, who was wounded that day while on IDF reserve duty in Gaza.

On Yom HaShoa (Holocaust Remembrance Day) in 2021, Avdija’s shoes carried the message: “Yizkor” (Remember). He has previously drawn Stars of David on his shoes, and the slogan: “Am Yisrael Chai” (the Nation of Israel Lives).

“My heart is with Israel,” Avdija says. On Monday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Avdija wrote (in Hebrew) on the midsole of his orange Nikes: “For the recovery of Idan, son of Tova, Amedi” (traditional Jewish prayers for healing always include the ailing person’s mother’s name).

Deni Avdija’s shoe. (Instagram)

Idan Amedi, 35, is a popular Israeli singer and actor.

He is best known for his role as Sago Tzur in the Netflix TV series Fauda, an action drama about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As a songwriter, he has five albums to his credit, and has millions of views on YouTube. Most of his songs, such as his 2010 hit, “A Warrior’s Pain,” reflect his experiences in the Israeli military.

After the brutal October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israeli villages that triggered the current Israeli retaliatory war, Amedi donned his IDF uniform and joined the 320,000 reservists in the fight to eliminate terrorism against Israel.

Although he plays an IDF soldier operating in Gaza in the Fauda TV series, in a video Amedi posted on X (Twitter) shortly after his call-up, he tells viewers: “This isn’t a scene from Fauda, this is real life!”

Idan Amedi is now serving in the IDF Combat Engineering Corps, destroying terror tunnels, missile sites, and Hamas command facilities in the Gaza Strip. About the tunnels, he tweeted: “It’s crazy, crazy what they built here!”

On January 8, he was seriously wounded by an explosion in Gaza. He was airlifted to Sheba Medical Center in Tel HaShomer, and underwent serious major surgery. He is now in moderate condition, and doctors are optimistic that he will survive.

Previous to Amedi’s injury, he posted a video in which he asserted: “We fully comprehend why we are here. We are here to protect our children, our families, and our homes. And I promise you that we won’t surrender until we win.” Refuah Shelayma, Idan ben Tova (Complete healing, Idan son of Tova)!