Melvin Pierre Ajinça (born 26 June 2004) is a French professional basketball player for LDLC ASVEL of the LNB Élite and the EuroLeague.
 Ajinça with Saint-Quentin in 2023 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 8 – LDLC ASVEL | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Small forward | ||||||||||||||
| League | LNB Élite EuroLeague | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | 26 June 2004 Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, France | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 214 lb (97 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2024: 2nd round, 51st overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Dallas Mavericks | |||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2019–present | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 2019–2022 | Centre Fédéral | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | Saint-Quentin | ||||||||||||||
| 2024–present | LDLC ASVEL | ||||||||||||||
| Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||
Professional career
editCentre Fédéral de Basket-ball (2019–2022)
editBorn in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, Ajinça started his playing career with Centre Fédéral de Basket-ball of the Nationale Masculine 1 in 2019.[1]
Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball (2022–2024)
editAjinça signed with Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball of the LNB Pro B on 30 June 2022.[2] During the 2022–23 season, he averaged 8.4 points per game and was voted the best young player in the league, as Saint-Quentin earned a promotion to the LNB Pro A.[1][3]
During the 2023–24 season, he averaged 9.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists across 24.5 minutes per game.[1][4]
LDLC ASVEL (2024–present)
editOn 23 July 2024, Ajinça signed with LDLC ASVEL of the LNB Élite.[5]
NBA rights
editOn 2 May 2024, the NBA confirmed that Ajinça was one of the international players who had declared for the 2024 NBA draft.[6]
On 27 June, Ajinça was selected with the 51st overall pick by the New York Knicks in the 2024 NBA draft,[4][7][8] but was later traded to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for draft rights to the 58th pick.[4][7] He was one of five French players selected during the entire draft, following Zaccharie Risacher (the first overall pick), Alex Sarr, Tidjane Salaün and Pacôme Dadiet.[8]
National team career
editAjinça was named to the France under-19 basketball team to play in the 2023 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup.[1][9] He was named to the second team All-Tournament Team, after averaging 19.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game, as France eventually reached the final before losing to Spain.[1][10]
Personal life
editAjinça is a cousin of basketball coach and former NBA player Alexis Ajinça.[4][11][12]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Vesely, Sophia (27 June 2024). "5 things to know about Mavs' draft pick Melvin Ajinca, including his World Cup highlights". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "Avec Melvin Ajinça, un jeune joueur à fort potentiel signe au SQBB". L'Aisne Nouvelle (in French). 30 June 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
- ^ "Pro B : Melvin Ajinça élu meilleur jeune de la saison". BasketEurope.com (in French). 12 May 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Who did the Mavericks draft? Get to know Melvin Ajinca". NBA.com. 28 June 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "Melvin Ajinca renforce les ailes villeurbannaises !". LDLCASVEL.com (in French). 23 July 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- ^ "NBA announces early entry candidates for NBA Draft 2024". NBA.com. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ a b Afseth, Grant (27 June 2024). "Mavericks Trade for 51st Pick from Knicks to Acquire Melvin Ajinca in NBA Draft". SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Draft : Melvin Ajinca choisi par New York puis envoyé à Dallas en NBA". L'Équipe (in French). 28 June 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "NBA Draft Scouting Report: France's Melvin Ajinca". SI.com. 19 August 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ^ "U19 World Cup 2023 All-Second Team, Best coach and Best Defensive Player Awards". FIBA.basketball. 3 July 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ^ "Melvin Ajinça : "Faire mieux que mon cousin"". Le Quotidien du Sport (in French). 26 April 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ Gizolme, Antonin (24 June 2023). "La France U19 entame parfaitement son mondial" (in French). Reuters. Retrieved 12 October 2023.