Justin Minaya (born March 26, 1999)[1] is a Dominican-American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Rip City Remix of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for South Carolina and Providence. He is the son of Major League Baseball executive Omar Minaya.
 | |
| No. 10 – Portland Trail Blazers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward / power forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 26, 1999 Harrington Park, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Northern Valley (Old Tappan, New Jersey) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2022: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2022–present |
| Career history | |
| 2022–2023 | Mexico City Capitanes |
| 2023–present | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 2023–present | →Rip City Remix |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
College career
editComing out of high school, Minaya was an unranked recruit but received several offers to play college basketball. He received official offers from South Carolina, UNC Wilmington, Boston University, Illinois, Iona and UMass. Minaya officially visited with South Carolina and UNC Wilmington before committing to South Carolina, signing his letter of intent on May 15, 2017.
Minaya played four seasons with the Gamecocks from 2017 to 2021, only playing 5 games in 2018–19 due to a severe knee injury. In 2020, Minaya also underwent surgery on his thumb. He played all four years at South Carolina under head coach Frank Martin.
After four years at South Carolina, Minaya transferred to Providence for his graduate season. At Providence, Minaya averaged 6.5 points per game and started in 25 out of the 32 games he played in the 2021–22 season. The Friars won the Big East regular season championship in 2022 and advanced to Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament, defeating South Dakota State and Richmond before losing to Kansas.
Professional career
editMexico City Capitanes (2022–2023)
editAfter going undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft, Minaya joined the Charlotte Hornets for the 2022 NBA Summer League.[2] He was named to the Mexico City Capitanes' roster to start the 2022–23 NBA G League season.[3]
Portland Trail Blazers (2023–present)
editOn April 4, 2023, Minaya signed a 10-day contract with the Portland Trail Blazers[1][4] and made his NBA debut that night, scoring 8 points in a 119–109 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.[5]
In June 2023, Minaya joined the Blazers for the 2023 NBA Summer League[6] and on October 2, he re-signed with the Trail Blazers.[7] On October 21, 2023, his deal was converted to a two-way contract with the Rip City Remix of the NBA G League.[8]
On July 1, 2024, Minaya signed a second two-way contract with Portland.[9]
Career statistics
edit| 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 | Bold | Career high |
NBA
editRegular season
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | Portland | 4 | 0 | 22.2 | .304 | .250 | .000 | 3.8 | 1.0 | .5 | 1.3 | 4.3 |
| 2023–24 | Portland | 34 | 1 | 11.2 | .297 | .245 | .556 | 1.6 | .6 | .3 | .3 | 1.8 |
| Career | 38 | 1 | 12.4 | .299 | .246 | .500 | 1.9 | .7 | .3 | .4 | 2.1 | |
References
edit- ^ a b Legros, Matthew (April 4, 2023). "Trail Blazers Sign G League Forward Justin Minaya". BlazersEdge.com. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ Samuels, Montana (June 24, 2022). "NBA Draft: Justin Minaya Signs Summer League Deal, No Friars Drafted". Patch.com. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- ^ "2022-2023 Mexico City Capitanes Regular Season Roster". RealGM.com. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- ^ Adams, Luke (April 4, 2023). "Blazers Sign Justin Minaya For Rest Of Season". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- ^ "Justin Minaya". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- ^ "Trail Blazers Announce NBA 2K24 NBA Summer League 2023 Roster". NBA.com. June 30, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ "Trail Blazers Sign Five Players". NBA.com. October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ "Trail Blazers Convert Justin Minaya To Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. October 21, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "Trail Blazers Re-Sign Justin Minaya to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2024.