The Dominican star Justin Minaya is making waves in the NBA. Having a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers, Minaya’s road to the association has been full of determination.
The 24-year-old, son of former New York Mets General Manager Omar Minaya, attended the University of South Carolina and Providence College for his collegiate career, which culminated in a Sweet 16 run in the 2022 NCAA Tournament with the Providence Friars.
Mexico City Bound
After going undrafted, Minaya transitioned into professional basketball by joining the Mexico City Capitanes in the NBA G-League for his rookie season and had an instant impact since his arrival. In 27 games played, he averaged an impressive 12.7 points and 4 rebounds per game, earning a spot among the league's top five players in steals, averaging just over two per game.
Portland opportunity
These performances earned him a call-up to the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers. Minaya competed in the final four games of the 2022/23 NBA season averaging 22 minutes of playtime per game.
The 24-year-old then went on to participate in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas with Portland. His production against the best young players in the NBA earned him a spot in training camp for the 2023/24 season.
During the preseason in Southern California, Minaya took advantage of every opportunity under the attention of Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups. After two weeks of training camp, he was awarded with a two-way contract with the Blazers, which will see him splitting his time between the NBA and the new Blazers' G-League affiliate, Rip City.
Minaya will be key for this young Blazers team with his defensive abilities and consistent three point shooting.
His journey is only getting started, but there's no doubt that, due to his determination and skill set on both ends of the court, Justin Minaya will be an NBA player for years to come. Portland fans have every reason to be excited, not only for his growth as a player, but also as a person.
