Alexis Ajinça

Alexis Ajinça (French pronunciation: [alɛksi aʒɛ̃sa]; born May 6, 1988) is a French former professional basketball player who played 9 seasons in the National Basketball Association and is currently an assistant coach for the Capital City Go-Go of the NBA G League.

Alexis Ajinça
Ajinça (front) with the Pelicans in February 2014
Capital City Go-Go
PositionAssistant coach
LeagueNBA G League
Personal information
Born (1988-05-06) May 6, 1988
Saint-Étienne, France
NationalityFrench
Listed height7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)
Listed weight248 lb (112 kg)
Career information
High schoolINSEP (Paris, France)
NBA draft2008: 1st round, 20th overall pick
Selected by the Charlotte Bobcats
Playing career2006–2019
PositionCenter
Number8, 21, 42
Career history
As player:
2006–2007Pau-Orthez
2007–2008Hyères-Toulon
2008–2010Charlotte Bobcats
2009→Sioux Falls Skyforce
2009–2010→Maine Red Claws
2010–2011Dallas Mavericks
2011Toronto Raptors
2011Hyères-Toulon
2011–2013SIG Strasbourg
2013–2018New Orleans Pelicans
2018–2019ASVEL Basket
As coach:
2023–presentCapital City Go-Go (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points1,553 (5.3 ppg)
Rebounds1,150 (3.9 rpg)
Blocks181 (.6 bpg)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
FIBA EuroBasket
Gold medal – first place2013 Slovenia National Team
U-18 European Championship
Gold medal – first place2006 GreeceU-18 Team

Professional career

Early years (2006–2008)

After attending France's INSEP,[1] Ajinça played for Pau-Orthez and Hyères-Toulon between 2006 and 2008.

Charlotte Bobcats (2008–2010)

Ajinça was selected with the 20th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Charlotte Bobcats.[2] During his rookie season, he spent time with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League. During his second season with Charlotte, he spent time with the Maine Red Claws.

Dallas Mavericks (2010–2011)

On July 13, 2010, Ajinça was traded, along with Tyson Chandler, to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Erick Dampier, Eduardo Nájera, Matt Carroll.[3]

Toronto Raptors (2011)

On January 24, 2011, Ajinça was traded, along with a future second-round draft pick and cash considerations, to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for the draft rights to Georgios Printezis.[4]

Return to France (2011–2013)

On November 2, 2011, Ajinça joined Paris-Levallois for a one-week tryout.[5] He left the team on November 8[6] and joined Hyères-Toulon two days later.[7] He appeared in just two games with Hyères-Toulon before parting ways with the team.

After failing to make a return to the NBA following the conclusion of the NBA lockout,[8] Ajinça returned to France and signed with SIG Strasbourg on December 29, 2011.[9] On August 13, 2012, he re-signed with Strasbourg for the 2012–13 season.[10] On August 6, 2013, he re-signed with Strasbourg for the 2013–14 season.[11] On December 18, 2013, he left Strasbourg to return to the NBA.[12]

New Orleans Pelicans (2013–2018)

On December 20, 2013, Ajinça signed with the New Orleans Pelicans.[13] On July 9, 2015, he re-signed with the Pelicans.[14] On April 8, 2016, he recorded career highs with 28 points and 15 rebounds in a 110–102 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.[15]

On December 7, 2017, after missing all of the 2017–18 season up to that point, Ajinça was ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his right patellar tendon, an injury that typically takes four to six months to recover.[16]

On October 15, 2018, Ajinça was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Wesley Johnson.[17] He was waived by the Clippers immediately upon being acquired.[17]

ASVEL (2018–2019)

On December 28, 2018, Ajinça returned to France and signed with ASVEL Basket.[18]

Coaching career

On October 13, 2023, Ajinça was hired as an assistant coach by the Capital City Go-Go of the NBA G League.[19]

National team career

In September 2013, Ajinça represented the French national team at EuroBasket 2013 in Slovenia. He averaged 9.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.[20]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2008–09 Charlotte 3145.9.362.000.7141.0.1.2.22.3
2009–10 Charlotte 605.0.500.000.000.7.0.2.21.7
2010–11 Dallas 1027.5.375.429.6671.7.2.3.52.9
2010–11 Toronto 24011.0.465.333.7332.5.3.3.64.8
2013–14 New Orleans 563017.0.544.000.8364.9.7.4.85.9
2014–15 New Orleans 68814.1.550.000.8184.6.7.3.86.5
2015–16 New Orleans 591714.6.476.000.8394.6.5.3.66.0
2016–17 New Orleans 391515.0.500.000.7254.5.3.5.65.3
Career 2937613.3.503.286.7973.9.5.3.65.3

Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015 New Orleans 303.31.000.000.000.3.3.3.02.7
Career 303.31.000.000.000.3.3.3.02.7

EuroLeague
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2006–07 Pau-Orthez 204.2.000.000.0001.5.0.0.0.0-3.0
2013–14 SIG Strasbourg 9925.5.553.000.7575.4 1.7.9.917.117.2
Career 11921.6.534.000.7574.71.4.7.714.013.5

Personal life

Ajinça and his wife Courtney have two sons, Carter and Caysen.[21][22]

See also

References
  1. "Alexis Ajinca". draftexpress.com. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  2. "Bobcats Select Augustin, Ajinca and Weaver in 2008 NBA Draft". NBA.com. June 26, 2008. Archived from the original on June 30, 2008.
  3. Stein, Marc (14 July 2020). "Mavs get Chandler from Bobcats". ESPN. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  4. "Raptors Acquire Ajinca, Draft Pick And Cash Considerations From Dallas". NBA.com. January 24, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  5. "Paris-Levallois announced the arrival for a 1-week tryout of Ajinca". Sportando.com. November 2, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  6. "Alexis Ajinca leaves Paris-Levallois". Sportando.com. November 8, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  7. "Alexis Ajinca returns to Hyeres-Toulon". Sportando.com. November 10, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  8. "SIG Strasbourg to sign Alexis Ajinca?". Sportando.com. December 26, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  9. "SIG Strasbourg signs big man Alexis Ajinca". Sportando.com. December 29, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  10. "SIG Strasbourg keeps Alexis Ajinca". Sportando.com. August 13, 2012. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  11. "Alexis Ajinca re-signs with SIG Strasbourg". Sportando.com. August 6, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  12. "Alexis Ajinca leaves SIG Strasbourg to join New Orleans Pelicans". Sportando.com. December 18, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  13. "PELICANS SIGN AJINCA". NBA.com. December 20, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  14. "Pelicans Re-Sign Ajinca, Asik and Cunningham". NBA.com. July 9, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  15. "Pelicans beat Lakers, Kobe Bryant 110-102". NBA.com. April 8, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  16. "Alexis Ajinca Medical Update". NBA.com. December 7, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  17. "Press Release: L.A. Clippers Complete Trade With New Orleans". NBA.com. October 15, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  18. "Alexis AJINÇA renforce LDLC ASVEL". ldlcasvel.com (in French). December 28, 2018. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  19. "Capital City Go-Go Announce 2023-24 Coaching Staff". OurSportsCentral.com. October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  20. "Alexis Ajinca". fibaeurope.com. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  21. Eichenhofer, Jim (December 24, 2014). "Christmas is special day for NBA; this year it's even more memorable for Pelicans' Alexis Ajinca, John Salmons". NBA.com. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  22. Eichenhofer, Jim (October 9, 2017). "Alexis Ajinca relishes joys of fatherhood". NBA.com. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
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