Entering the first round of the Western Conference against the San Antonio Spurs, the Portland Trail Blazers knew they had a tall task. More specifically, they had to face a team led by the French center, Victor Wembanyama. However, they, too, had an up-and-coming star in the making on their roster in Deni Avdija. But little did anyone know that the two would end up in a rivalry of sorts. So, when Avdija was recently asked to comment on Wemby, he had a clear answer:

“I won’t say what you said, but I’m glad the Knicks won,” Avdija replied with a straight face to a reporter from Israel’s N12 News.

As translated by Fullcourtpass, the reporter had apparently asked Avdija in Hebrew: “How’s Wemby? How did Wemby act? Wemby is a little s—– kid, huh?”

How Avdija responded here was somewhat of a double-edged sword. You see, he calmly shifted the attention from the reporter’s trap to get him to say something about Wemby, and yet, gave an underhanded jab to the Spurs. Losing to the New York Knicks after going all the way to the NBA Finals was an emotional journey for Wembanyama, and Avdija knew it very well. Yet, he did not choose the path that the Spurs star once did, which flamed their alleged beef.

It all started during the 2026 NBA All-Star. Then, Wembanyama and Avdija were in the ‘World’ team that played in Los Angeles. Usually, you would expect one player, who is already a supposed star in the league, to say something good about his teammate, who is also gaining enough traction. But that is not what happened.

“I mean, he takes a lot of free throws,” Wembanyama said. “I haven’t played against him this year, but the advice is not to foul, to defend without fouling.”

In a way, the Frenchman wasn’t wrong because Avdija ranked third last season, averaging 9.2 free throw attempts. It’s even more than SGA! However, the Israeli baller wasn’t really impressed with Wemby’s comment. 

“I don’t know, I didn’t really pay attention, to be honest with you,” Avdija said, reflecting on Wemby’s comment ahead of his postseason debut. “I think I am much more than a player that lives on the free throw line, but people will always say things like that. The only thing I can do is simply not pay attention and play my game.”

While neither star has acknowledged any personal animosity, several incidents have fueled the narrative. The beef narrative only developed as the Spurs took on the Blazers in the postseason.

Victor Wembanyama used his size to his advantage, dominating the Blazers in the paint, both offensively and defensively. during their postseason meetings. The defining moment came in Game 5 with the Spurs looking to close the season 4-1.

Deni Avdija spun into the lane and floated a shot at the bucket. But Wemby came from the weak side and blocked the shot. It was a clean and loud denial that sent the ball into the stands, raising everyone’s eyebrows — including Wemby’s father’s. Following the series, Wembanyama also refused to engage in the customary handshake with Avdija.

While the narrative of a beef is true or not, one thing is certain: both these players are developing into common names in the NBA world. It may be their competitiveness, or it may be a beef, but what’s certain is that everyone will enjoy every game that the two play against each other.