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

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

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, United States. The teams have also been nicknamed the ...

, 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 as of 2020. Stone Mountain is in the eastern part of DeKalb County and is a suburb of Atlanta that encompasses nearly 1.7 square miles. It lies near and ...

. He played college basketball for the

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public university, public research university and Institute of technology (United States), institute of technology in Atlanta, ...

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 these ...

. 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 Theater at Madison Square Garden 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 p ...

, 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 Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

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 Noblesville Boom are an American professional basketball team based in Noblesville, Indiana that competes in the NBA G League. The Boom are the affiliate team of the NBA's Indiana Pacers and, since 2025, they have played their home games at ...

. 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 and the county seat of Kern County, California, United States. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, which is located in the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's population as of the ...

. 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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

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

Élan Chalon (2010–2012)

In July 2010, Aminu joined the

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte most commonly refers to: *Charlotte (given name), a feminine form of the given name Charles ** Princess Charlotte (disambiguation) ** Queen Charlotte (disambiguation) *Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, a city * Charlotte (cake) ...

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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

for the 2010 NBA Summer League. 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 ASVEL Basket, currently known as LDLC ASVEL for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional basketball team located in the commune of Villeurbanne, a suburb of Lyon, France. The club, which is the basketball section of the ASVEL multi-sports ...

. 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 A Turkish name consists of an ''ad'' or an ''isim'' (given name; plural ''adlar'' and ''isimler'') and a ''soyadı'' or ''soyisim'' (surname). Turkish names exist in a "full name" format. While th ...

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 Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

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 New Basket Brindisi, for sponsorship reasons named Valtur Brindisi or shortly Brindisi, is a professional Italian basketball based in Brindisi, Apulia. They compete in Serie A2, second level of Italian basketball system. Founded in 2004, the we ...

. However, on December 30, 2013, Aminu parted ways with Brindisi. On January 6, 2014, Aminu returned to Turkey for a second stint, joining Banvit 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''), more commonly referred to as simply Galatasaray and familiarly as Cimbom, is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul including basketball, wheelchair ...

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 821 315 (Odunpazari + Tebebasi), with a metropolitan population of 921 630. The city is l ...

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 () 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 the Liga Leumit (the second tier of Israeli basketball) and ...

. 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. The contest was conceived of and started by the American Basketball Associat ...

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 lead ...

Al Riyadi (2016–2017)

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

Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut Al Riyadi Club Beirut (), commonly known simply as Al Riyadi, is a multi-sports club team based in Manara, a district in Beirut, Lebanon. Founded in 1934, the multi-sports club, which is mainly known for their basketball program, also plays p ...

. 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 has played in French basketball league system, the top-tier level basketball league in France, the LNB Pro A, Pro A, since 2011. ...

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

Hapoel Tel Aviv (2018–2019)

On July 26, 2018, Aminu signed with the Israeli team

Hapoel Tel Aviv Hapoel Tel Aviv () is a sports club in Israel, founded in the 1920s, and part of the Hapoel association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, such as football, basketball, w ...

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 Maccabi Rishon LeZion is a sport club in Rishon LeZion, Israel. The professional teams associated with it include: *Maccabi Rishon LeZion (basketball) *Maccabi Rishon LeZion (handball) * Maccabi Rishon LeZion (badminton) There was also a footb ...

. Aminu helped Hapoel reach the 2019 Israeli League Playoffs, where they eventually were eliminated by

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv () 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 as football, basketball, j ...

in the Quarterfinals.

Polski Cukier Toruń (2019–2020)

On September 10, 2019, he signed with

Polski Cukier Toruń Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

of the PLK.

Bilbao Basket (2020–2021)

On December 16, 2020, Aminu signed a two-month contract with

Bilbao Basket Club Basket Bilbao Berri Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D., commonly known as Bilbao Basket (), also known as Surne Bilbao Basket for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club based in Bilbao, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB. T ...

of the

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...

Shahrdari Gorgan (2021)

On February 8, 2021, Aminu signed with Shahrdari Gorgan of the

Iranian Basketball Super League The Iranian Basketball Super League (IBSL) is a professional men's basketball league in Iran. It was founded in 1998. The current champions is Shahrdari Gorgan. The league follows the promotion and relegation system in which the worst two teams ...

(IBSL). In April, he won the 2020–21 IBSL championship.

Atléticos de San Germán / Gigantes de Carolina (2021–2022)

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

Baloncesto Superior Nacional The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, abbreviated as BSN, is the first-tier-level professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation. T ...

. On May 2, 2022, he parted ways with the team. 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 The Nigeria men's national basketball team represents Nigeria in international basketball, and it is governed by the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF). In March 2021, the global governing body FIBA ranked Nigeria as Africa's top men's baske ...

. He participated in the

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

and the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

. In August 2015, Aminu helped the Nigerian team to win the 2015 AfroBasket and earning a gold medal.

Personal life

Aminu's father is from

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

, and his mother is from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He was born in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, and grew up in nearby

. His brother, Al-Farouq, was a professional basketball player who most notably played for the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

of the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

.Al-Farouq Aminu Bio
. Wakeforestsports.com. Retrieved on December 2, 2015.

References

External links

*
Alade Aminu
at

RealGM RealGM.com is a sports website created in 2000. The site was originally a basketball site, but has since expanded its scope to provide information about American football, baseball, ice hockey and soccer. According to Alexa, the site ranked in th ...

Alade Aminu
at TBLStat.net
Alade Aminu
at DraftExpress.com
Alade Aminu
at

LNB Élite The LNB Élite, currently known for sponsorship reasons as Betclic Élite, is a professional basketball league in France and is the highest level of the French basketball system. The competition has existed since 1921. Since 1987, the Ligue Nat ...

Alade Aminu
at

LNB Pro A LNB may refer to: Sport * Liga Nacional de Baloncesto, a professional basketball league in the Dominican Republic * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol, an Argentine basketball league * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol (Paraguay), Liga Nacional de Básquetb ...

(archived)
Alade Aminu
at

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...