WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Washington Wizards are expanding their footprint in Israel by launching a team website in Hebrew and the NBA’s first Israeli Instagram account. Prior to the start of the 2020-21 season, the Wizards were the first NBA team to launch an Israeli Twitter account. These platforms will provide exclusive content featuring Wizards forward Deni Avdija and the entire Wizards team to fans in Israel.
"The Washington Wizards are excited to introduce our new Israeli social platforms,” said Monumental Sports and Entertainment President and Chief Commercial Officer Jim Van Stone. “We are committed to growing the game of basketball and connecting fans all over the world, so expanding our reach in Israel with the addition of Deni is a perfect opportunity to extend our global efforts.”
Leading the digital coverage in Hebrew will be Yaron Talpaz, who was formerly the chief marketing officer with the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball club. To tip off the new platforms, the Wizards digital team is launching the Wizraeli Jersey Giveaway Sweepstakes for fans in Israel. Fans in Israel will have a chance to win an Avdija jersey by retweeting social posts from the team’s Twitter or Instagram accounts with an emoji. Avdija’s jersey is currently available for purchase on Fanatics.com and at the Team Store at Capital One Arena. Fans will also have a chance to win jerseys from Wizards players including Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook.
The Wizards will continue their growing relationship with Israel this season by celebrating Jewish Heritage Night when the team plays the Los Angeles Clippers on March 4. The remainder of the Wizards theme nights and promotional schedule for the 2020-21 season, presented by Capital One, will be released in the coming weeks.
The Wizards have expanded their Wizards Podcast Network with the launch of the new Wizraeli Podcast hosted by the Wizards Israeli digital team. The show will feature interviews with Wizards personnel and voices from around the NBA and Israel. The first episode will feature Avdija and former NBA player and Israeli professional basketball player Omri Casspi. The Wizards continue to be a leader in global initiatives and are the only NBA team with multi-language podcasts in addition to a host of global social platforms.