When it comes to top centers coming into the NBA draft tomorrow, Aday Mara is definitely one of the top names. The Spaniard is a double-double machine who helped lead the Michigan Wolverines to the national championship and is now taking his talents to the NBA. As he prepares to start a new chapter, the question now is, who are his parents?
His parents are Gely Gómez and Javier Mara, both of whom traveled to the United States to watch their son play in the national championship game. They both have athletic backgrounds, and raised him to be one as well in the city of Zaragoza.
Aday Mara’s mom, Gely Gómez, was a volleyball star in her youth. Like him, she is also tall, at 6’3, and played as a middle-blocker on the Spanish women’s national volleyball team. She also played club basketball on the domestic level, and was one of the reasons the center played basketball, as he struggled with his long limbs and was uncoordinated growing up.
As for his father, Francisco Javier Mara was a professional basketball player who played for CB Zaragoza from 1986 to 1988. While his father is not as tall as him, Aday Mara credits him for helping shape his athleticism.
“The biggest thing that helped me was playing a lot of beach volleyball because moving in the sand is very difficult,” the Michigan star told AP in an interview. “I also played a lot of other sports as a kid, like soccer, a little golf and some American football, just throwing the ball around and running routes with my dad.”
After moving to the United States, Mara kept in touch with his parents, often calling them via video calls. He has also kept in touch with the rest of his family in Spain, and calls his grandparents and often plays with his cousins through online games.
Aday Mara’s NBA Draft Projection: A Reunion With Dusty May
As for where Aday Mara might end up after the NBA draft, he is a projected Top 10 pick. With the Dallas Mavericks hiring his coach over at Michigan, Dusty May, as their new head coach, CBS has projected that he will end up at Dallas as the No. 9 overall pick.
May has been credited for Mara’s growth as a player, and this is expected to continue as he turns pro. While it is still projected to be Cooper Flagg’s team, Mara is expected to bring defensive savvy to the Mavs should they draft him.
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