.jpg) Aminu with thePortland Trail Blazers in 2019 | |||||||||||||||
| Free agent | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Small forward /power forward | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1990-09-21)September 21, 1990 (age 34) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality | American / Nigerian | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Norcross (Norcross, Georgia) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Wake Forest (2008–2010) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2010: 1st round, 8th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Selected by theLos Angeles Clippers | |||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2010–present | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Los Angeles Clippers | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2014 | New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans | ||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Dallas Mavericks | ||||||||||||||
| 2015–2019 | Portland Trail Blazers | ||||||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | Orlando Magic | ||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Chicago Bulls | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com  | |||||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Al-Farouq Ajadi Aminu (born September 21, 1990) is a Nigerian-American professionalbasketball player who last played for theChicago Bulls of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). Internationally he represented theNigeria national basketball team. Aminu was selected by theLos Angeles Clippers in the2010 NBA draft with the eighth overall pick, and has also played for theNew Orleans Pelicans,Dallas Mavericks,Portland Trail Blazers, andOrlando Magic.
Aminu went toNorcross High School and was ranked as one of the top college recruits in the nation from the class of 2008. He was ranked #7 in the nation byRivals.com and #13 by Scout.com.[1]
Aminu transferred to Norcross between his freshman and sophomore years fromWesleyan School, but was ruled ineligible and had to play on Norcross'JV team his sophomore year.[2] In his junior year, Aminu and teammateGani Lawal led Norcross to a 30–3 record and a #12 national seed. Aminu averaged 13.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in his junior year. He led Norcross to back to back Georgia 5A state titles in 2007 and 2008. He averaged 23.1 points and 11.2 rebounds a game as a senior. Norcross finished 29–2 and ranked #6 in 2008. Aminu was a member of the 2008McDonald's All-American Team and played in the Jordan Brand Classic where he had 12 points and 13 rebounds.[3]
Aminu committed to Wake Forest in July 2007 and in November 2007 Aminu signed aLetter of Intent to play basketball atWake Forest. He chose Wake Forest overGeorgia Tech.
As a freshman during the 2008–09 season, he was a unanimous selection for the ACC All-Freshman Team. Aminu posted 10 double-doubles on the year, including five in conference action. He led all freshmen and ranked sixth in the ACC with 8.3 rebounds per game. Aminu was also second among all league rookies with 13.0 points per contest.
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | Wake Forest | 31 | 30 | 29.0 | .516 | .179 | .671 | 8.2 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 12.9 |
| 2009–10 | Wake Forest | 31 | 30 | 31.3 | .447 | .273 | .698 | 10.7 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 15.8 |
On April 1, 2010, Aminu hired an agent and declared for the2010 NBA draft.[4] He was selected with the eighth overall pick by theLos Angeles Clippers. In just his eighth game for the Clippers on November 9, 2010, he had a season-best game with 20 points (a career-high until March 31, 2016) and 8 rebounds against the New Orleans Hornets.[5]
.JPG)
On December 14, 2011, the Clippers traded Aminu,Chris Kaman,Eric Gordon and a 2012 first-round pick (previously acquired from theMinnesota Timberwolves) to theNew Orleans Hornets in exchange forChris Paul and two future second-round picks.[6]
In the final game of the2012–13 regular season on April 17, Aminu recorded 16 points and a career-high 20 rebounds in an 87–99 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.[7] The next day, the Hornets changed their name to the Pelicans.[8]
On December 4, 2013, against the Dallas Mavericks once again, Aminu tied his career-best game with 16 points and 20 rebounds in a 97–100 loss.[9]
On July 29, 2014, Aminu signed with theDallas Mavericks.[10] On February 20, 2015, he had a season-best game with 17 points and 12 rebounds in a 111–100 win over the Houston Rockets.[11]
On July 9, 2015, Aminu signed a four-year, $30 million contract with thePortland Trail Blazers.[12][13] On August 1, 2015, he played for Team Africa at the2015 NBA Africa exhibition game. He made his debut for the Trail Blazers in the team's season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans on October 28, recording 9 points and 8 rebounds in a 112–94 win.[14] On March 26, 2016, Aminu matched his career high with 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a 108–105 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.[15] He set a new career high five days later, scoring 28 points while hitting a career-high six three-pointers in a 116–109 win over the Boston Celtics.[16] On April 6, he scored 27 points in a 120–115 win over theOklahoma City Thunder, helping the Trail Blazers clinch a postseason berth.[17] The Trail Blazers finished the regular season as the fifth seed in the Western Conference with a 44–38 record. In the first round of the playoffs, the Trail Blazers faced the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers, and in a Game 4 win on April 25, Aminu recorded a career-high 30 points and 10 rebounds, helping the team tie the series at 2–2.[18] The Trail Blazers went on to win the series 4–2 and advanced to the second round where they faced the Golden State Warriors. In Game 3 of the series, Aminu recorded 23 points and 10 rebounds to help the Trail Blazers win 120–108, cutting the Warriors' advantage in the series to 2–1.[19] The Trail Blazers went on to lose the series to the Warriors in five games.
After starting in the Trail Blazers' first eight games of the 2016–17 season, Aminu was ruled out for a number of weeks with a calf injury on November 11, 2016.[20][21] He returned to action on December 5 after missing 13 games and had three points in 17 minutes against theChicago Bulls.[22] He later missed four games in mid-December with a sore back.[23] On February 9, 2017, he scored a season-high 26 points in a 120–111 loss to theBoston Celtics.[24]
Aminu missed 13 games with a right ankle injury during November 2017.[25] On January 1, 2018, he scored a season-high 24 points in a 124–120 overtime win over theChicago Bulls.[26]
On July 6, 2019, Aminu signed with theOrlando Magic.[27] On December 1, 2019, theOrlando Magic announced that Aminu suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee and would be out indefinitely.[28]
On March 25, 2021, Aminu andNikola Vučević were traded to theChicago Bulls in exchange forWendell Carter Jr.,Otto Porter Jr. and two future first-round picks.[29]
On August 11, 2021, Aminu,Thaddeus Young, and several draft picks were traded to theSan Antonio Spurs in exchange forDeMar DeRozan.[30] On October 18, Aminu was waived by the Spurs after appearing in one pre-season game.[31] On December 25, he was signed to a 10-day contract by theBoston Celtics.[32] However, he never played a game in Boston.
Aminu represents theNigerian national basketball team. He competed at the2012 Summer Olympics. On August 30, 2015, Aminu with theD'Tigers of Nigeria won the2015 FIBA Africa Championship (AfroBasket) in Tunisia by defeating Angola 74–65.[33] He was also named in the All-Star Five of the 2015 Afrobasket.[34]
Al-Farouq Aminu is married to Helina Tekeste Aminu. The couple have a daughter together. He is the child of aYoruba father from Nigeria and anAfrican American mother from New York. Aminu is descended from a line of Nigerian kings.[35] He is aMuslim.[36]
His name translates to "the chief has arrived."[37] (This also helps explain his nickname, "The Chief.") His brother,Alade Aminu, is also a professional basketball forward.[38] Aminu and his wife's foundation, Aminu Good Works Foundation, organizes a yearly basketball camp inNigeria since 2016. The camp takes place inIbadan.[39]
| 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 |
| * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | L.A. Clippers | 81 | 14 | 17.9 | .394 | .315 | .773 | 3.3 | .7 | .7 | .3 | 5.6 |
| 2011–12 | New Orleans | 66* | 21 | 22.4 | .411 | .277 | .754 | 4.7 | 1.0 | .9 | .5 | 6.0 |
| 2012–13 | New Orleans | 76 | 71 | 27.2 | .475 | .211 | .737 | 7.7 | 1.4 | 1.2 | .7 | 7.3 |
| 2013–14 | New Orleans | 80 | 65 | 25.6 | .474 | .271 | .664 | 6.2 | 1.4 | 1.0 | .5 | 7.2 |
| 2014–15 | Dallas | 74 | 3 | 18.5 | .412 | .274 | .712 | 4.6 | .8 | .9 | .8 | 5.6 |
| 2015–16 | Portland | 82* | 82* | 28.5 | .416 | .361 | .737 | 6.1 | 1.7 | .9 | .6 | 10.2 |
| 2016–17 | Portland | 61 | 25 | 29.1 | .392 | .329 | .706 | 7.4 | 1.6 | 1.0 | .7 | 8.7 |
| 2017–18 | Portland | 69 | 67 | 30.0 | .395 | .369 | .738 | 7.6 | 1.2 | 1.1 | .6 | 9.3 |
| 2018–19 | Portland | 81 | 81 | 28.3 | .433 | .343 | .867 | 7.5 | 1.3 | .8 | .4 | 9.4 |
| 2019–20 | Orlando | 18 | 2 | 21.1 | .291 | .250 | .655 | 4.8 | 1.2 | 1.0 | .4 | 4.3 |
| 2020–21 | Orlando | 17 | 14 | 21.6 | .404 | .226 | .824 | 5.4 | 1.7 | 1.0 | .5 | 5.5 |
| 2020–21 | Chicago | 6 | 0 | 11.2 | .200 | .167 | .800 | 3.2 | .3 | .3 | .0 | 1.5 |
| Career | 711 | 445 | 24.9 | .420 | .332 | .746 | 6.0 | 1.2 | 1.0 | .6 | 7.5 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Dallas | 5 | 2 | 30.0 | .548 | .636 | .789 | 7.2 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 11.2 |
| 2016 | Portland | 11 | 11 | 33.8 | .438 | .400 | .724 | 8.6 | 1.8 | .7 | .9 | 14.6 |
| 2017 | Portland | 4 | 0 | 28.3 | .459 | .412 | .636 | 6.5 | 1.0 | .8 | 1.0 | 12.0 |
| 2018 | Portland | 4 | 4 | 32.8 | .519 | .433 | 1.000 | 9.0 | 1.3 | 1.0 | .5 | 17.3 |
| 2019 | Portland | 16 | 16 | 24.9 | .349 | .294 | .750 | 6.3 | 1.3 | .6 | .6 | 7.4 |
| Career | 40 | 33 | 29.1 | .434 | .391 | .742 | 7.3 | 1.4 | .9 | .9 | 11.3 | |
