Aday Mara

Aday Mara Gómez (born April 7, 2005) is a Spanish college basketball player for UCLA Bruins of the Pac-12 Conference.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Mara and the second or maternal family name is Gómez.
Aday Mara
No. 15 – UCLA Bruins
PositionCenter
LeaguePac-12 Conference
Personal information
Born (2005-04-07) April 7, 2005
Zaragoza, Spain
Listed height7 ft 3 in (2.21 m)
Listed weight245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
CollegeUCLA (2023-present)
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–2023Casademont Zaragoza
2021→CBP Huesca
2022→Anagan Olivar
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Spain
FIBA U18 European Championship
Silver medal – second place2023 SerbiaTeam

Professional career

After Mara began to play basketball for Básket Lupus, he joined Zaragoza Basket's youth categories.[1] He was assigned in the lower tiers with Zaragoza's affiliated team Club Baloncesto El Olivar (EBA League).[2] He made his debut in LEB Oro in the also affiliated team Levitec Huesca in a fixture against Tau Castelló in October 2021.[3] Mara made his debut with the first team of Casademont Zaragoza on 17 November 2021, age 16, in a Fiba Europe Cup fixture against Reggio Emilia, scoring two points.[2]

He played in the 2020–21 Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament and averaged 8.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks over four games.[4][5]

Mara was loaned to CB Peñas Huesca of LEB Oro at the start of the 2021–2022 season due to a roster shortage at the club. He averaged 2.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks over six games. Mara was then assigned to Anagan Olivar of Liga EBA, the Spanish fourth division, where he averaged 10.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game.[6]

Mara made his Liga ACB debut with Zaragoza on October 16, 2022,[7][8] chipping in 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block.[9]

Mara took part in the Basketball Without Borders camp during the 2023 NBA All-Star weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah.[10]

College career

On August 3rd, 2023, UCLA announced the signing of Aday Mara.[11] Casademont Zaragoza had contested the termination of the contract between Mara and the club. Earlier, the club stated in a press release, that "contracts must be respected" and considered to "take the necessary measures to keep it that way".[12]

National team career

Mara played for the Spain under-17 basketball team at the 2022 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup.[13] He averaged 12.6 points, five rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game as Spain made the final before losing to the United States.[14]

Personal life

Mara was born and lives in Zaragoza, Spain. His father, Francisco Javier Mara, played basketball professionally for CB Zaragoza from 1986 to 1988.[15] His mother Angélica "Geli" Gómez, played volleyball on the Spain women's national volleyball team.[16][17][18][19] Mara's father and mother respectively stand at 201 cm and 192 cm.[8]

References
  1. Bravo, Chema M. (23 November 2021). "Aday Mara, cuando el límite es el cielo". Heraldo de Aragón.
  2. Machín, Raquel (17 November 2021). "Casademont Zaragoza-Reggio Emilia: El día que debutó Aday Mara". El Periódico de Aragón.
  3. "Aday Mara, la torre de futuro del baloncesto español de 2,18 y 16 años, ilusiona en su brillante estreno en LEB Oro". Marca. 9 October 2021.
  4. Canyameras, Toni (February 21, 2023). "La NBA alucina con Aday Mara en el All Star: "Su límite es el cielo"". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  5. "Aday Mara, la perla del baloncesto español, a la conquista de la NBA". 20 minutos (in Spanish). February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  6. "Spain big man Mara passing his way to top prospect status". FIBA.basketball. July 3, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  7. García, Guillermo (October 17, 2022). "Aday Mara, el gigante español de 2,20 que asombra al mundo del baloncesto". Relevo (in Spanish). Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  8. Pinilla, José Ignacio (6 November 2022). "Aday Mara, el unicornio español". AS.
  9. "Aday Mara, el gigante más joven de la historia de la Liga Endesa". acb.com. 16 October 2022.
  10. "La NBA se frota las manos con Aday Mara: "Muchos equipos le siguen"". Diario AS (in Spanish). February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  11. "UCLA Men's Basketball Signs Aday Mara". UCLA. 2023-08-03. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  12. "Aday Mara, the Spanish giant that will play with UCLA in the NCAA". Marca. 2023-08-02. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  13. Corbella, Enrique (February 21, 2023). "NBA grow excited about Spain's Aday Mara during the All-Star Weekend: The sky's the limit for him". MARCA. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  14. "Cómo y dónde ver en TV el España-Francia de la Copa del Mundo FIBA sub 17 de Málaga". Málaga Hoy. July 9, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  15. "All in the family at FIBA Basketball U17 World Cup 2022". FIBA.basketball. July 9, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  16. "Aday Mara y Lucas Langarita pasan a ser jugadores de la primera plantilla del Casademont Zaragoza". Heraldo de Aragón. October 28, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  17. "Aday Mara y Lucas Langarita: cuando el éxito va en los genes". El desmarque. 11 July 2022.
  18. "Aday Mara". acb.com. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  19. Corbella, Enric (17 October 2022). "Aday Mara, el unicornio español de 2,20 m., derriba la puerta con 17 años: debuta en la ACB haciendo historia". Marca.
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