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Now part of the NBA after a breakout year in Michigan, Aday Mara joins an exclusive list of folks who get to live out their dreams of being a professional basketball player at the highest level. Within that list, there are even smaller clubs. The 21-year-old gets to don another hat besides just the Oklahoma City Thunder.
When the Thunder selected Mara with the No. 12 pick of the 2026 NBA draft, he became the next Spanish NBA player. The 7-foot-3 center was born in Zaragoza, Spain. He briefly played professionally overseas in Spain from 2021-23 before committing to college.
Mara played two forgettable years at UCLA from 2023-25. Finally, he entered the transfer portal. Arriving at Michigan, he turned into a lottery pick there. Alongside Morez Johnson Jr. and Yaxel Lendeborg, the frontcourt trio led the Wolverines to a 2025 national championship.
But back to his Spanish roots, Mara is extremely proud of his origins. All-time Spanish NBA players include Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol, Ricky Rubio, Serge Ibaka and Jose Calderon. Right now, Spain is going through a mini-rebuild on the international scene. They used to give the United States battles in the 2010s. But those four players above — either being retired or close to it — have kinda closed that window.
Mara is the highest-drafted Spanish player since Rubio was taken with the No. 5 pick of the 2009 NBA draft. The 21-year-old will likely be the face of Team Spain for the next decade-plus. Thunder fans might need to tune into their games in the FIBA World Cup and Olympics, too — on top of Canada's.
"It means a lot. It's an honor to represent my country. Obviously, you get into a list with really good names, I'm happy for that, too. I think it's great for Spanish basketball," Mara said. "I'm just super happy that I got to the list of being with those players and getting drafted high. Obviously, it's important, but I don't think it's how high you can go or not. It's just the team, the program, so that's why I'm really excited to be with OKC because I think it's a great program. But yeah, I'm happy."
Always cool to see international players get the backing of their home country. And NBA teams certainly feel it. When Mara arrives, expect all of Spain to root for the Thunder. The seven-foot giant gives OKC a different element it previously didn't have on both ends of the floor.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Aday Mara calls it an 'honor' to represent Spain at the NBA level
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