There is one All Star on World Team whose dad used to play for Yugoslavian National Team and it’s not who you think it is
This may only be interesting to history buffs. History fans and NBA fans overlap just enough that there are dozens of us!
Zufer Avdija was (still alive) a professional basketball player whose career lasted over 20 years. Largely forgotten now, but he was a star in Yugoslavia, and even made it to the national team that got a bronze in FIBA World Championships in Colombia. They lost to Doc Rivers (yes that one, but as a player) lead US team that prevented them from reaching the finals.
Once shit went down in Yugo land, Zufer abandoned his country and his family in order to play in Israeli league. He married a track and field star from Israel and they had a son named Deni. Rest is history.
This is where things get slightly weird.
Deni Avdija has been getting a lot of hate for being a Z word. His dad is a Muslim. What gives? Well, dad Zufer is a Kosovo Muslim, but not Albanian Kosovo Muslim. Zufer is a Gorani. Super obscure ethnicity that barely even exists to this day. Gorani Muslims and Kosovo Albanian Muslims can’t stand each other. Gorani have been mostly exterminated out of Kosovo.
This is where things get weird weird.
You would think that Kosovo and Palestine would be sister states supporting each other through a common struggle. Nope. Palestine does not recognize Kosovo severity and Kosovo does not recognize Palestine’s right to exist.
Literally nothing makes sense.
All roads to nonsense lead to either to Balkans or Middle East. We have a unique 2-for-1 here.
In some alternate universe Deni, Nikola, and Luka are playing on the same no-defense team and are getting a Bronze medal. In Colombia perhaps.