Lee Abraham Aaliya (born November 8, 2004) is an Argentine professional basketball player currently playing for Palmer Basket Mallorca, in the Spanish LEB Plata league, on loan from UCAM Murcia CB. At 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m), he plays as a power forward.
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| No. 18 – Palmer Basket Mallorca | |||||||||||||||
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| Position | Power forward | ||||||||||||||
| League | LEB Plata | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | November 8, 2004 La Plata, Argentina | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Argentine | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2021–present | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Atenas | ||||||||||||||
| 2024 | UCAM Murcia CB | ||||||||||||||
| 2024–present | → Palmer Basket Mallorca | ||||||||||||||
Medals
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He made his debut for Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata in 2021, and later spent a season at Atenas de Córdoba. In 2022, Aaliya made his debut for the national basketball team, representing Argentina in the 2022 FIBA South America Under-17 Championship. Since 2023, he has played for the senior national men's basketball team.
Professional career edit
Aaliya's debut was in 2021, for his hometown team where he played since he was a child, Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata.[1] He played for Gimnasia y Esgrima for two seasons before transferring to Atenas de Córdoba, where he spent a season.[2] In 2024, he was signed by Spanish Liga ACB team UCAM Murcia CB with a contract for four seasons, and sent on loan to LEB Plata side Palmer Basket Mallorca.[3][4]
National team career edit
Aaliya formed part of the Argentina men's basketball team at the 2022 South America U17 Championship, where he won a silver medal.[5] He also formed part of the U18 team that played at the 2022 Americas Championship, at which Argentina placed fourth.[6] In 2023, he was featured in the men's U19 team at the U19 World Cup, held in Debrecen, Hungary. Argentina placed 5th in the competition and Aaliya was named part of the U19 Second All-Tournament Team, finishing fourth in the tournament in scoring and rebounds.[7]
On July 25, 2023, he made his debut for the men's senior national team in a friendly against Catalonia, held in Manresa.[8]
Personal life edit
Aaliya's father, Jeff Aaliya (also known as Musambe Tutu), is a Ghanaian-born bodybuilder and professional wrestler who immigrated to Argentina in 1997. His mother, Paula Ansín, is an Argentine national.[9][10] Aaliya was born in La Plata. His brother, Jefferson Aaliya, is also a professional basketball player for Obras Sanitarias.[11]
References edit
- ^ "Lee Aaliya, la revelación del básquet argentino, recibió un importante guiño para llegar a la NCAA de Estados Unidos". Clarín (in Spanish). August 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ Chaijale, Marcelo (March 20, 2023). "Cómo llegó "la joya" Lee Aaliya a Atenas, qué le puede dar y por cuánto tiempo se queda". La Voz (in Spanish). Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ "El UCAM Murcia ficha por cuatro temporadas a Lee Aaliya y lo cede al Palmer Basket Mallorca". La Nación (in Spanish). January 31, 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ Tallón, M. G. (January 31, 2024). "Lee Aaliya, internacional con Argentina a los 19 años, llega al UCAM CB y es cedido al Palmer". Murcia Plaza (in Spanish). Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ "Básquet: con Tiziano Prome, Argentina fue subcampeón del Sudamericano U18". Qué Digital (in Spanish). March 27, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ "FIBA U18 Americas Championship | Argentina". FIBA (in Spanish). Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ "U19 World Cup 2023 All-Second Team, Best coach and Best Defensive Player Awards". FIBA. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ "La "nueva" selección de Prigioni superó a Cataluña en su primer partido de preparación". La Voz (in Spanish). July 25, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ "Lee Aaliya, el sparring de la Selección e hijo de Musambe Tutu". Diario Hoy (in Spanish). March 3, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ Ciceri, Juan José (February 25, 2022). "Es hijo de un personaje icónico de 100% Lucha, tiene raíces africanas y se entrena con la Selección: Lee Aaliya, la nueva perla del básquet argentino". Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ "El otro Aaliya, en Obras". Nuestro Básquet (in Spanish). November 22, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ "Conocé a Lee Aaliya, el sparring de la selección hijo de Musambe Tutu". BásquetPlus (in Spanish). March 1, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
External links edit
- Lee Aaliya on Twitter
- Lee Aaliya at fiba.com
- Lee Aaliya at Latinbasket.com