Santi Aldama
A versatile Spanish forward whose MVP performance in youth tournaments announced his arrival as a new European talent in the NBA.
Born 2001 (age 25)·Spanish basketball player·Birthday: January 10·Generation Z
Biography
Santi Aldama represents a new breed of international player, blending a guard's skill set with a forward's frame. Hailing from the Canary Islands, his basketball lineage is strong—his father played professionally and his mother for the Spanish national team. His growth spurt in his teens transformed his game, allowing him to handle the ball and shoot from distance while creating mismatches. The basketball world took note when he dominated the 2019 FIBA U18 European Championship, claiming MVP honors and leading Spain to gold. This propelled him to Loyola University Maryland, where he became a first-round NBA draft pick. Now with the Memphis Grizzlies, Aldama is carving out a role as a modern stretch big, his passing vision and soft shooting touch making him a unique puzzle piece in a league that increasingly values his type of versatility.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Santi was born in 2001, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Santi Was Born
The biggest hits of 2001
#1 Movie
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Best Picture
A Beautiful Mind
#1 TV Show
Survivor
Santi's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
2001Born
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2006Started school
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2014Became a teenager
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2017Could drive
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2019Could vote
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2022Turned 21
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 25 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Named MVP of the 2019 FIBA U18 European Championship after leading Spain to the gold medal.
- Selected in the first round (30th overall) of the 2021 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz, later traded to Memphis.
- Became a rotation player for the Memphis Grizzlies, contributing to multiple playoff appearances.
Did You Know?
Both of his parents were professional basketball players in Spain.
He grew up playing soccer and didn't focus solely on basketball until his early teens.
He played college basketball in the United States for Loyola University Maryland.
“My father taught me the footwork, but the game taught me the mind.”
