24. Minaya

Born on 26 March 1999 in Harrington Park, New Jersey, Minaya arrived in Barcelona in the summer of 2026 for his first experience of European basketball.

After attending Northern Valley High School, he began his college career with the South Carolina Gamecocks (2017–21). He then spent a season at Providence in Rhode Island (2021/22) before entering the 2022 NBA Draft.

Although he went undrafted, he began his path towards the NBA with the Mexico City Capitanes, the only G League team without an NBA affiliate. There he started to attract attention, averaging 12.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game. That last figure ranked him third in the league and established his reputation as a defensive specialist.

The Portland Trail Blazers signed him on 4 April 2023, the same day he made his NBA debut against the Memphis Grizzlies. In 17 minutes, Minaya recorded eight points, four rebounds, two assists and one block. He played four games before the end of the season.

Portland then offered him a two-way contract spanning two seasons (2023–25). During that period, he made another 53 NBA appearances while also playing in the G League.

After leaving Portland, he signed with the Orlando Magic but did not make an NBA appearance for them. He subsequently joined the Osceola Magic, where he played 34 games and helped the team reach the Eastern Conference Finals. He then signed for Barça, taking a significant step in his career.

Technical profile

Justin Minaya has built a reputation as a defensive specialist. Able to guard players from point guard through to power forward, he always brings tremendous energy to the team.