LeBron James and Steve Nash Sing Blazers Star Deni Avdija's Praises

Portland Trail Blazers wing Deni Avdija has gotten flowers from two of the greatest minds to ever take to an NBA court: Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and Hall of Fame point guard Steve Nash. The two gave Avdija props for his All-Star-caliber season on their Mind The Game podcast.

Nash, who had a 49/43/90 shooting split during his career and shot 50/40/90 over the course of four different seasons, called Avdija a "problem" while attacking the defense.

"25 points per game. That's plus eight from last year. Six assists. That's two up from last year. True shooting 62%. That's up 2% from last year. He's top four at the time of recording in foul rate, nine and a half free throws a game up there with Shai, Luka, and AR. This is a guy who, when he gets downhill, is a problem," Nash said.

James, meanwhile, claimed the Washington Wizards are currently "kicking themselves" regretting their decision to trade Avdija back in June 2024. The Wizards swapped Avdija for Malcolm Brogdon, who has since retired from the NBA.

"He's a physical, physical driver to the rim. And if you don't have a body in front of him, if you're on the side of him, then he's going to get that foul call. He's super physical, especially going downhill to his right hand. And like you said, he's worked a lot on his outside shooting, too. When he was in Washington, that's the one thing he did have. He's always had this speed with the ball. Very fast with the ball downhill to his right hand, big body, big wing. But this year in particular, I've seen him expand his range and make some shots from the perimeter at a more consistent rate. And it's resulted in him having a breakout career year so far," James said.

Deni Avdija Giving Blazers Chance to Make Playoff Run

No one expects Portland to be playing deep into June. The idea of the Blazers playing into May doesn't sound so crazy on some nights, when Avdija is carrying the team and Shaedon Sharpe, and/or another member of the team, is not far behind. Through January 6, Avdija has 10 games of 30 points or more during the 2025-26 season.

That's a full leap to stardom. Amid a season in which the team's head coach, Chauncey Billups, isn't even on the sidelines, Avdija's play is more than keeping the team afloat.

Game recognizes game, hence, Avdija just got recognized by two of the game's all-time greats.