Aaron Valdes (born June 15, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for Astros de Jalisco of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional. He plays the guard and forward positions.

Aaron Valdes
No. 32 – Astros de Jalisco
PositionShooting guard / small forward
LeagueLNBP
Personal information
Born (1993-06-15) June 15, 1993 (age 31)
Whittier, California
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight209 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeHawaii (2013–2016)
NBA draft2016: undrafted
Playing career2016–present
Career history
2016–2019Soles de Mexicali
2019–2020Leñadores de Durango
2020–2021Maccabi Haifa B.C.
2021–2022Plateros de Fresnillo
2022–presentAstros de Jalisco
Career highlights and awards

Early life and high school career

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Valdes was born in Whittier, California and attended La Serna High School ('11).[1][2][3] He played basketball for the school, and as a junior averaging 18.7 points and 12.8 rebounds per game.[1] He was named league MVP and first-team all-area.[1] As a senior, he averaged 19.6 points and 13.6 rebounds per game, and was named first-team all-league.[1] He also played water polo, and in 2009 was named league MVP and first-team all-area, while in 2010 he was named All-America, Del Rio League MVP, and California Interscholastic Federation player of the year.[1][4]

He attended La Jolla Prep in 2011-12, and played basketball averaging 19.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and three steals per game.[1]

College career

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Valdes attended the University of Hawaii.[1] At the start of his college career, he had a 41-inch vertical leap.[5] Playing for the basketball team as a sophomore in 2014-15, he averaged 1.7 steals per game (third in the Big West), and 13.7 points per game (10th in the league), and was seventh in two-point field goal percentage (.516).[1] He was named Big West Conference honorable mention.[1][6] As a junior in 2015-16 he scored 14.1 points per game (eighth in the league) and blocked 0.7 shots per game (ninth in the league), and was fifth in two-point field goal percentage (.581).[1][6] He was named second-team all-Big West.[1] He turned pro after his junior year.[7][8]

Professional career

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On August 9, 2020, Valdes signed with Maccabi Haifa of the Israeli Basketball Premier League.[9] He averaged 2.8 points and 1.5 rebounds per game in four games before leaving the team in November. On August 10, 2021, Valdes signed with the Plateros de Fresnillo of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Aaron Valdes - Men's Basketball". University of Hawai'i at Manoa Athletics.
  2. ^ "Catching up with Aaron Valdes". Warrior Insider. August 22, 2013.
  3. ^ "HIGH SCHOOLS: Versatile Valdes provides spark for La Serna". September 28, 2009.
  4. ^ "Coming out on top". Daily Breeze. January 5, 2011.
  5. ^ "Meet the Warriors: Aaron Valdes". Warrior Insider. October 17, 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Aaron Valdes College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
  7. ^ "Hawaii guard Aaron Valdes to turn professional". Sports Illustrated. April 7, 2016.
  8. ^ McInnis, Brian (April 7, 2016). "UH basketball's Valdes going pro". Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
  9. ^ "Aaron Valdes International Stats". Basketball-Reference.com.
  10. ^ "Plateros ink Aaron Valdes, ex M.Haifa". Eurobasket. August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
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