Santi Aldama is a young Spanish professional basketball player who is popular for his dominant style of play and insane athleticism on the court. Being nearly seven feet tall, Santi has surprisingly smooth ball handles and movements which would make even a Shooting Guard jealous of his prowess.
Santi caught the Basketball tick before the age of five, a period of early development in which kids are more focused on learning and education. Santi however, managed to strike a perfect balance between the two most necessary priorities and became one of the best young Basketball talents in Spain.
Santi is by far, among the best and brightest to come out of Spain. Evaluating his potential, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to anticipate that the Las Palmas native has a challenging, but promising road ahead.
Santi Aldama Age
Born on January 10, 2001, Santi Aldama Toledo is 22 years old. Basketball brought huge inspiration for Santi thanks to his dad Santiago Aldama who introduced him to the game at the young age of three. Growing up admiring Juan Carlos Navarro, Pau Gasol, and the late great Kobe Bryant, he was determined to one day play for his country and represent the best of Spanish Basketball talent in the NBA.
Being trained by one of the best basketball programs in Canterbury Basketball Academy motivated Aldama to take his next and most unlikely step towards progress.
In August 2019, Aldama decided to commit to Loyola University Maryland. As the story went viral, many college basketball experts and enthusiasts expressed their opinion, stating that joining a lesser-known Division I program may hurt Aldama’s chances of being picked in the 2021 Draft.
Playing two seasons at Loyola – Maryland, Aldama did his best to improve his draft chances by averaging 19 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, one steal, and 1.7 blocks per game. Come conference contention, Aldama played with even better efficiency, scoring 18.7 points, nine rebounds, two assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game.
As the 2021 NBA draft approached, most experts chose not to include Aldama in their 2021 NBA mock draft and draft preview, severely underestimating his achievements and prior successes.
Aldama was picked 30th overall in the first round by the Utah Jazz and traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. This made him the first draft pick from Loyola – Maryland since Mike Krawczyk in 1972. Those who didn’t know Santi weren’t much bothered, but those who knew and played with him couldn’t believe it happened.
Overall, Santi Aldama’s career is growing at the right pace. If he continues his solid momentum for another ten years, his name will be etched forever as one of the greatest Spaniards to play the game of Basketball.
FAQs
A. Aldama stands 6 feet 11 inches tall.
A. Aldama is a Center who also plays the Power forward position.
A. Aldama debuted for Spain at the 2017 U16 EuroBasket.
A. Currently on a Rookie contract, Aldama earns $2.5 Million annually.
