Santi Aldama Bio
Santiago Aldama Toledo, known professionally as Santi Aldama, is a Spanish professional basketball player who plays power forward and center for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born on 10 January 2001 in Las Palmas, Spain, he stands 7 feet 0 inches tall and weighs 215 pounds, giving him the size to operate as a versatile frontcourt player. Aldama first gained international recognition when he was named most valuable player of the 2019 FIBA U18 European Championship while representing Spain. He was selected 30th overall in the 2021 NBA draft and quickly developed into a rotation piece for the Grizzlies.
Beyond his NBA career, Aldama is recognized for his international pedigree and his college success with the Loyola Greyhounds. He is the son of a former Spanish national team member who played at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. His combination of shooting touch, passing vision, and length has made him a key part of the Grizzlies’ modern frontcourt rotation.
Early Life and Background
Santi Aldama was brought up in Las Palmas, located on the island of Gran Canaria in Spain. He first picked up a basketball at age three, inspired heavily by his father, Santiago Aldama, and his uncle, Santi Toledo, both of whom played the sport professionally. Growing up in a basketball household gave Aldama early access to training, and he quickly developed a love for the game. As a young player, he idolized Spanish greats Pau Gasol and Juan Carlos Navarro, as well as Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, studying their footwork and scoring instincts.
Aldama attended Canterbury Academy in Las Palmas for his high school education, where he played for the Canterbury Basketball Academy program. Despite receiving recruitment interest from powerhouse European clubs such as FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Gran Canaria, he chose to stay at Canterbury to continue his development. At the 2017 Spanish Under-16 Championship, he averaged 18.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game, helping Canterbury to a surprising third-place finish behind FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. In 2018, he played on loan for the FC Barcelona under-18 team at the Adidas Next Generation tournament qualifiers in Ciutat de l’Hospitalet.
Path to Basketball
Aldama made his national team debut for Spain at the 2017 FIBA U16 European Championship in Podgorica, Montenegro, where he averaged nine points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Two years later, he led Spain to a gold medal at the 2019 FIBA U18 European Championship in Volos, Greece, posting impressive averages of 18 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.3 blocks, and 1.9 steals per game. His dominant play earned him tournament most valuable player honors and a place on the All-Star Five alongside teammate Usman Garuba.
Following his performance at the U18 tournament, Aldama attracted interest from college programs in the United States. On 5 August 2019, he announced his commitment to play for Loyola Maryland, choosing the program in part because his father had a prior relationship with assistant coach Ivo Simović. Considered a four-star recruit and a high-major talent, his decision to attend a mid-major program surprised many analysts, with 247Sports calling him one of the biggest college-bound international steals in years. He enrolled at Loyola Maryland to begin his college basketball career in the 2019-20 season.
Santi Aldama Career
Early Career (2019-2021)
Aldama’s freshman season at Loyola Maryland was delayed by a knee injury that required surgery, causing him to miss the first three months of the year. He made his collegiate debut on 1 February 2020, scoring 11 points in 17 minutes during a 79-73 win over Navy. He was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week three times in the span of four weeks, and at the end of the regular season he was selected to the Patriot League All-Rookie Team. He closed his freshman year with averages of 15.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.7 blocks across 10 games.
As a sophomore, Aldama emerged as one of the most dominant players in the Patriot League. On 13 February 2021, he posted 30 points and 22 rebounds in a 97-94 triple-overtime loss to Lafayette, setting the Loyola program record and matching Adonal Foyle’s Patriot League record for rebounds in a single game. Later that season, on 10 March 2021, he scored a career-high 33 points with 12 rebounds, shooting 13-of-15 from the field, in a 67-63 win against Army in the Patriot League tournament semifinals, helping Loyola reach its first-ever Patriot League final. He finished the year averaging 21.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.7 blocks per game, earning First Team All-Patriot League honors before declaring for the 2021 NBA draft.
NBA Breakthrough (2021-2022)
Aldama was selected with the 30th overall pick of the 2021 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz, and his rights were later traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. On 8 August 2021, the Grizzlies announced that they had signed him to his first professional contract. He made his regular-season debut during the 2021-22 campaign and notched a season-high 18 points with 10 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal, and a block in a 152-79 blowout win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on 2 December 2021. He split time between the Grizzlies and their G League affiliate as he adjusted to the pace and physicality of professional basketball in the United States.
Memphis Grizzlies Era (2022-Present)
Aldama joined the Grizzlies’ 2022 NBA Summer League roster and was named to the All-NBA Summer League Second Team on 18 July 2022. With Jaren Jackson Jr. sidelined, Aldama was named the Grizzlies’ starting power forward to open the 2022-23 season. He delivered in his first career start on 19 October 2022, recording a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds in a 115-112 overtime win over the New York Knicks. On 2 February 2023, he scored a career-high 21 points alongside 10 rebounds in a 128-113 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, cementing his role in the rotation.
During the 2024-25 NBA season, Aldama made 65 appearances with 16 starts, averaging 12.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists. On 26 April 2025, he recorded 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists in a 117-115 Game 4 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs, eliminating the Grizzlies from postseason contention. On 30 June 2025, he re-signed with Memphis on a three-year, $52.5 million contract. In the 2025-26 season, he made 43 appearances with 11 starts, averaging 14.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists before a knee procedure in March 2026 ended his campaign.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Aldama’s signature moments are his 2019 FIBA U18 European Championship MVP award, his Loyola program-record 22-rebound performance against Lafayette, and his first career NBA double-double against the New York Knicks. He has also earned All-NBA Summer League Second Team recognition and a substantial long-term contract with Memphis, signaling his place in the team’s long-term plans.
Santi Aldama Family
Family Background and Basketball Lineage
Santi Aldama comes from a family with deep roots in professional basketball. His father, Santiago Aldama, played professionally in Spain and Portugal and represented the Spanish national team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. His uncle, Santi Toledo, also played professional basketball in Spain, Italy, and Portugal. The family background gave Aldama early exposure to high-level coaching, professional training environments, and the discipline required to pursue basketball at its highest levels.
Personal Life
Born and raised in Las Palmas on Gran Canaria, Aldama has remained closely tied to his Spanish heritage throughout his career. He has spoken about his admiration for Spanish basketball icons and his comfort in bilingual environments. His decision to attend Loyola Maryland in the United States reflected his interest in a future business career alongside professional basketball, blending his European upbringing with American opportunities.
Santi Aldama 2025 Season Performance
The 2025 portion of Aldama’s campaign centered on his pending contract status and his continued growth within the Memphis rotation. Coming off a strong 2024-25 regular season in which he averaged 12.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists, he entered the year as a trusted frontcourt option. His playoff moment against the Oklahoma City Thunder on 26 April 2025, a 23-point, 9-rebound performance, demonstrated his ability to produce in high-leverage games even as Memphis was eliminated in the first round.
On 30 June 2025, Aldama secured his long-term future with the Grizzlies, signing a three-year, $52.5 million contract extension that runs through the 2027-28 season. The deal reflected his value as a versatile, modern big man capable of spacing the floor and facilitating offense. As the 2025-26 season progressed, he elevated his production to 14.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game, taking on a larger offensive role in the team’s system.
His season was cut short on 16 March 2026, when he underwent an arthroscopic procedure and received an orthobiologic injection to address ongoing discomfort in the trochlear compartment of his right knee. He missed the remainder of the year, and his recovery will be a focal point for the Grizzlies as they prepare for the next campaign. With his contract secured and his role expanding, Aldama remains a foundational piece of Memphis’s frontcourt plans.
