Danny Abdia Has already signed a little more than half a season in the NBA as a rookie, and in honor of the occasion, the Washington Wizards have launched a new podcast this season called ‘The Vizier’, the nickname attached to the Israeli forward, who will deal mainly with the young player. After 34 games, 17 of them in the top five, the Wizards’ number 9 was of course the first guest to talk about his adaptation to the best league in the world professionally, socially and also in his personal life off the floor.
“There is almost no time to breathe or go out, nothing. Even though you’re in some kind of dream and every night you meet Allstar after big clubs and people you never thought you would see, everything moves very fast. But I enjoy every moment, “said Abdia. “The players here are on a different level. They are very smart and read the situations amazing, seeing how much experience they have. I look at them and say I want to be like that. I strive to learn every day and get better and that in a few more years Rocky will be asked to enter the league what it is like to play against Danny Abdia. I hope to write my own history in Washington because I am neither the first nor the last to be here. I want to write history for myself and for Israel and not money is what matters, I see the great players here and I also want to be one of them and it will only come through hard work. ”
The different discipline in the NBA compared to that experienced by Maccabi Tel Aviv: “The thought is this – you arrive on time and besides they will not tell you what to do in your free time. Whether it’s lifting weights, what to eat, what to drink, when to work out in the gym. We get a lot of money and trust us to know what to do with it. If a player wants to buy with that money McDonald’s is what he will do. I do not compromise on fitness and try to sleep as much as possible and exercise and throw in all the opportunities I have. There is nothing that I sit in and do nothing. The club completely trusts you, know that this is your job and you get a lot of money and have to persevere and invest because no one will do it for you. I have a chef, my mother, who is the best and the conditions allow me to come to the hall and do what I want whenever I want, not even during training. “
Is he talking to Russell Westbrook about fashion? “Russ doesn’t talk to us that much about fashion. I’m in a locker room different from the others because we’ve split in two because of the corona right now and I’m not with him yet. I pay attention to his costumes, this is what sets him apart so you can not laugh at him because you are already used to it, you expect it. I talked to him about it. He travels every summer to fashion shows in Paris, so whoever we are to tell him ‘this is neither style nor fashion’ is the best at it. He’s a guy and that’s what makes him special and you can understand why he will be in the Hall of Fame. I have not seen an actor who comes all the time with such motivation and hunger for so many years. I wish that for myself. ”
The different laws compared to Europe: “There are a lot of different rules here and it is sometimes easier or harder. The paint is much more open so it is difficult to protect penetrations. There are cheap Pauls squeezing out of three, this is not what you are used to from Europe. It’s annoying as a defensive player. I’m aggressive so all those little whistles annoy me, but I have to adapt to the NBA and not the league to me. “
Do the enormous expectations in Israel affect him? “I see some fans in the country and want me to take the ball further and throw more, but people do not understand what it is to be a rookie, especially in a team that aims for the playoffs, it is not easy and you learn in the process. I did not have a summer league or a long training camp and my opportunities were not many. I live and fall for the good and bad games. People look at Luka Doncic or Lamello Bull, but how can I complain when a player of one choice below me plays in the G-League. I play 20 minutes in the NBA, even if I do not throw it does not interest me. It’s above and beyond Rocky from Europe and I have no complaints. People want me to succeed like Luca but it does not come right away and I hope it will be my job in the future. In the meantime, I am very satisfied. ”
The evening of the Jewish heritage that the club organized in his honor: “It did me so much good, I wish it would be every day. It made me so happy at heart, wow. “Crazy, it also gave me so much motivation and brought up a smile that I needed.”