Abdul Wahab "Alade" Aminu (born September 14, 1987) is a Nigerian-American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player who most recently played for Gigantes de Carolina of the

Baloncesto Superior Nacional The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, abbreviated as BSN, is the first-tier-level professional men's basketball league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation. The Baloncesto Superior Naci ...

(BSN). He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), located in Atlanta, Georgia. The teams have also been nicknamed the Ramblin' Wrec ...

, before playing professionally in France, Turkey, Italy, Israel, and Lebanon. In 2015–16, he was the top rebounder in the Israel Basketball Premier League.

Early life and college career

Aminu attended Stephenson High School in

Stone Mountain, Georgia Stone Mountain is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 6,703 according to the 2020 US Census. Stone Mountain is in the eastern part of DeKalb County and is a suburb of Atlanta that encompasses nearly 1.7 square mil ...

. He played college basketball for the Georgia Institute of Technology's

Yellow Jackets Yellowjacket or yellowjacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genera '' Vespula'' and '' Dolichovespula''. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries. Most of th ...

. In his freshman year at Georgia Tech, Aminu came off the bench in 24 games, averaging 2.4 points and 1.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 48.9% from the floor. In his sophomore year, Aminu's role increased slightly, in which he played 18 games, averaging 5.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, shooting 58.3% from the floor (his best shooting percentage during his college career). In his senior year, he averaged 11.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game, shooting 52.2% from the floor.

Professional career

D-League (2009–2010)

After going undrafted in the

2009 NBA draft The 2009 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2009, at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other e ...

, Aminu joined the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

for the 2009 NBA Summer League. On November 5, 2009, Aminu was selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2009 NBA D-League by the

Fort Wayne Mad Ants The Fort Wayne Mad Ants are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and are affiliated with the Indiana Pacers. The team plays their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. The Mad ...

. However, he was subsequently acquired by the Erie BayHawks in a trade. On February 13, 2010, Aminu participated in the 2010 D-League All-Star Game. On March 2, 2010, The BayHawks sent Aminu in a trade to the

Bakersfield Jam Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's pop ...

. In 9 games played for the Jam, he averaged 19.3 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. On March 26, 2010, Aminu signed a 10-day contract with the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

. However, Aminu was later waived by the Heat on April 7.

Élan Chalon (2010–2012)

In July 2010, Aminu joined the

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populou ...

and the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

for the

2010 NBA Summer League The 2010 National Basketball Association Summer League ( NBA Summer League) was a pro basketball league ran by the NBA in the United States just following the 2010 NBA draft. Teams consisted of players who have been in the league for three years ...

. On July 9, 2010, Aminu signed with the French team

Élan Chalon Élan Sportif Chalonnais, commonly known as Élan Chalon, is a French professional basketball club that is based in Chalon-sur-Saône, France. The team's main colors are red and white, and their mascot is a moose. The team's home arena is called ...

for the 2010–11 season. On May 21, 2011, Aminu recorded a career-high 27 points, shooting 13-of-14 from the field, along with six rebounds in an 85–107 blowout loss to ASVEL Basket. Aminu won the 2011 French Cup with Chalon. On June 13, 2011, Aminu signed a one-year contract extension with Chalon. In his second season with the team, Aminu won the a treble – the 2012 French Leaders Cup, the 2012 French Cup and the 2012 French League Championship titles with Chalon. In 54 games played during the 2011–12 season, he averaged 11.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1 steals per game.

Pınar Karşıyaka (2012–2013)

On August 24, 2012, Aminu signed with the Turkish team

Pınar Karşıyaka Pınar is a common feminine Turkish given name. In Turkish, "Pınar" means "Spring" (of water), and/or "Fountain". Notable people called Pınar include: Given name * Pinar Heggernes (born 1969), Turkish-born Norwegian computer scientist * Pına ...

for the 2012–13 season. Aminu helped Karşıyaka reach the 2013 FIBA EuroChallenge Finals, where they eventually lost to Krasnye Krylia.

Enel Brindisi and Banvit (2013–2014)

In July 2013, Aminu joined the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

for the

2013 NBA Summer League The 2013 NBA Summer League is a pro basketball league run by the NBA just after the 2013 NBA draft. It gives newly drafted players a chance to test their skills against each other, and to give them a feel for professional basketball. All 30 NBA ...

. On September 23, 2013, Aminu signed a one-year deal with the Italian team Enel Brindisi. However, on December 30, 2013, Aminu parted ways with Brindisi. On January 6, 2014, Aminu returned to Turkey for a second stint, joining

Banvit Banvit is a feed and poultry producer based in Bandırma, Turkey. Business and activities Starting as a feed producer in 1968, Banvit gradually moved into the production of broiler chickens. Today Banvit has the country's largest single broiler ...

for the rest of the season. Aminu helped Banvit reach the 2014 Turkish League Semifinals, where they were eventually eliminated by

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...

TED Ankara (2014–2015)

On August 15, 2014, Aminu signed with TED Ankara for the 2014–15 season. On February 28, 2015, Aminu recorded a season-high 26 points without missing a single shot (12-of-12 from the field), along with eleven rebounds in an 85–97 loss to

Eskişehir Eskişehir ( , ; from "old" and "city") is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. The urban population of the city is 898,369 with a metropolitan population of 797,708. The city is located on the banks of the ...

Hapoel Eilat (2015–2016)

On September 11, 2015, Aminu signed a one-year deal with the Israeli team Hapoel Eilat. On October 26, 2015, Aminu recorded a season-high 25 points, shooting 8-of-13 from the field, along with twelve rebounds, five assists and two steals in an 84–86 loss to

Ironi Nahariya Ironi Nahariya Basketball Club ( he, מועדון הכדורסל עירוני נהריה; ) known for sponsorship reasons as Ironi Rain Nahariya () is a professional basketball club based in city of Nahariya in northern Israel. The team plays in th ...

. On March 25, 2016, Aminu participated in the 2016 Israeli All-Star Game and the

Slam Dunk Contest The NBA Slam Dunk Contest (officially known as the AT&T Slam Dunk) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. ''Sports Illustrated'' wrote "the dunk contest was the best halftime inventio ...

during the same event. In 37 games played for Eilat, Aminu finished the season as the 2016 Israeli League Rebounding Leader with 10 rebounds per game, and third-leading player in efficiency rating (22.6 per game). He also averaged 14.7 points, 1.5 assists and 1.7 blocks per game. Aminu helped Eilat reach the 2016 Israeli League Semifinals, where they eventually lost to

Hapoel Jerusalem Hapoel Jerusalem is a sport organization in Jerusalem as a local branch of the Hapoel movement. The branch was established in the 1920s and represents the city in more sports than any other sport organization in Jerusalem. Today, the club's leadi ...

Al Riyadi (2016–2017)

On August 8, 2016, Aminu signed with the Lebanese team

Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut Al Riyadi Club Beirut ( ar, نادي الرياضي بيروت, lit=Sporting Club Beirut) is a multi-sports club based in Manara, a district in Beirut, Lebanon. Founded in 1934, the basketball team competes in the Lebanese Basketball League. ...

. In 37 games played during the 2016–17 season, he averaged 15 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists. 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. Aminu won the 2017 Lebanese League Championship with Al Riyadi.

Nanterre 92 (2017–2018)

On July 28, 2017, Aminu returned to France for a second stint, signing a one-year deal with

Nanterre 92 Nanterre 92 is a professional basketball club from the city of Nanterre (a western suburb of Paris), France. The club plays in the top-tier level basketball league in France, the Pro A, since 2011. Founded in 2011 as JSF Nanterre, the club plays ...

. Aminu helped Nanterre reach the 2018 FIBA Champions League Round of 16, where they were eventually eliminated by his former team

Hapoel Tel Aviv (2018–2019)

On July 26, 2018, Aminu signed with the Israeli team Hapoel Tel Aviv for the 2018–19 season. On November 19, 2018, Aminu recorded a season-highs 21 points and 13 rebounds, shooting 9-of-13 from the field, in an 85–62 win over Maccabi Rishon LeZion. Aminu helped Hapoel reach the 2019 Israeli League Playoffs, where they eventually were eliminated by

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...

in the Quarterfinals.

Polski Cukier Toruń (2019–2020)

On September 10, 2019, he has signed with

Polski Cukier Toruń Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

of the PLK.

Atléticos de San Germán / Gigantes de Carolina (2021–present)

On May 27, 2021, Aminu signed with

Atléticos de San Germán Atléticos de San Germán is a basketball club of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) based in San Germán, Puerto Rico. Founded in the 1930s after the amalgamation of the old San Germán team and the Farmacia Martín team, the team is one of ...

of the

. However, he was released on May 1, 2022. The next day, he signed with Gigantes de Carolina.

Nigerian national team

Aminu is a member of the senior men's Nigerian national basketball team. He participated in the

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

and the 2016 Summer Olympics. In August 2015, Aminu helped the Nigerian team to win the

2015 AfroBasket AfroBasket 2015 was the 28th edition of the AfroBasket, a men's basketball continental championship of Africa. It also served as the qualifying tournament for FIBA Africa at the 2016 Summer Olympics Basketball Tournament in Brazil. The tournament ...

and earning a gold medal.

Personal life

Aminu's father is Yoruba from

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, and his mother is African American from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

.Alade Aminu.
RamblinWrekc.cstv.com He was born in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, and grew up in nearby

. His brother, Al-Farouq, is a professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the NBA.

References

External links