Johnson, Avdija Make All-Star Game Debuts

The Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., may be 2,200 miles from downtown Atlanta, but during the 2026 NBA All-Star Games festivities this past Presidents’ Day weekend, Jewish Atlanta made its presence felt.

Hawks’ small forward Jalen Johnson and Israeli forward Deni Avdija of the Portland Trail Blazers, coincidentally the two front-runners for the NBA Most Improved Player Award, both made their NBA All-Star debuts in the Los Angeles Clippers’ futuristic stadium. Though neither Johnson nor Avdija factored prominently into the outcome of the first-ever round-robin tournament—the NBA, trying to bolster All-Star Game competition and provide fans with a more compelling reason to watch, employed a three-team format whereby Team Stars, Team Stripes, and Team World all played each other, and the two teams with the best record and point differential competed in a fourth and final game—the All-Star nods for the two players enjoying breakout seasons held great historical significance for the Hawks franchise and Israeli basketball, respectively.

Aside from the recently-jettisoned Trae Young, the Hawks haven’t been represented at the NBA All-Star Game since power forward Paul Millsap was a perennial All-Star in the mid-2010s. The 24-year-old Johnson, a year removed from a left shoulder injury that derailed his 2024-25 campaign, is the centerpiece of the youthful Hawks’ playoff push and projects to be a franchise cornerstone for the balance of the decade. The high-flying wing, who has steadily improved every year since the Hawks drafted him No. 20 overall out of Duke University in 2021, is averaging a career-best in points (23.3), rebounds (10.6), and assists (8.2).

Speaking to reporters during All-Star media day, Johnson, who, when it’s all said and done, could go down as one of the greatest late-first round picks in league history, explained how his leadership role on the Hawks has evolved over the past half-decade.

“I think I just started talking more,” Johnson said. “That was the biggest thing. As soon as I got more opportunities. Obviously, you need to be on the same page with your teammates, so communication is key. That’s just something I’ve continued to grow in. I want to continue to get better at it. So, I’m excited for it.”

Across three 12-minute tournament-style games, Johnson chipped in 14 points, most of which came by throwing down thunderous dunks on fast breaks.

“It’s hard staying consistent sometimes in a world full of chaos,” added the Hawks All-Star who paid his dues early in his pro career by spending time in the NBA G League when he wasn’t coming off the bench for Atlanta. “Just to continue to be able to do that, I think that’s what I’m most proud of. My journey has been far from easy. It could have been easy to give up so many times like during the pre-draft process and all that. My willingness to stay down, continue to work, block out all the noise — that’s what made this so much sweeter.”

En route to claiming the first-ever USA v. World All-Star tournament championship, Johnson’s Team Stars squad, one consisting largely of young players and first-time All-Stars, edged Avdija and the “World” team, 37-35. Avdija, about whom Johnson remarked, “he’s doing big things out in Portland,” finished with five points, four assists, and a rebound over two games.

“I think it brought some competitiveness with it, and it’s a fun format,” said Avdija afterwards. “So, it shows how the game went global, which is amazing to see. I hope it’s even going to expand, and people are about to understand that it’s fun watching the All-Star Game. It’s going to be a little more competitive, try to bring it back.”

“It was a long weekend, I’m going to say that,” added Avdija, who arrived in Los Angeles on Friday, Feb. 13, after playing back-to-back games on the road that Wednesday and Thursday. “Great staff all around, great planning of the All-Star Weekend. It was hectic, but it was fun. I was really enjoying the experience. Especially when it’s your first time, you embrace everything a little better. But I hope I can be here for many years to come.”

But the more intriguing storyline involving Avdija had nothing to do with his on-court exploits. Israeli basketball has made tremendous strides over the past couple decades and his inclusion in the NBA’s mid-season showcase represented a watershed moment in the country’s athletic history.

“It feels [like] an honor, a blessing. I definitely worked hard, sacrificed a lot of my time to get to the best stage in the world, and I feel like this is a dream come true for every kid that actually wants to play basketball,” Avdija told a throng of reporters swarming over him during media day, many of whom fired away questions in Hebrew. “Just having a whole country behind me — it’s a blessing to represent on the biggest stage in the world.”

Avdija becoming the first-ever Israeli NBA All-Star was such a hot topic at the weekend’s festivities that it came up during LeBron James’ session with reporters. James acknowledged that Avdija was indeed worthy of the honor and then went on to share, “if I have fans over there [Israel] — I’ve never been there — if I have fans over there that follow my career, I hope I inspired people over there to not only want to be great in sports, but be better in general, in life. Hopefully, someday I can make it over there … I’ve heard nothing but great things.”

Meanwhile, the ending of the 75th edition of the NBA All-Star Game will forever resonate with the local community: moments after the final buzzer went off, Jewish NBA Commissioner Adam Silver honored Atlanta native Anthony Edwards with the All-Star Game MVP award.