Aday Mara to play for Spain in 2026 FIBA World Cup qualifier

Clemente Almanza, OKC Thunder WireThu, July 23, 2026 at 6:00 PM UTC

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For those craving some hoops now that we're in the middle of the yearly NBA drought, the Oklahoma City Thunder will have a couple of games to at least watch in the dog days of summer. Aday Mara will play for Team Spain in its upcoming 2026 FIBA World Cup qualifier.

Spain will play Portugal on Friday, Aug. 28 and Greece on Monday, Aug. 31. Mara will be part of their 15-player roster that also includes other NBA players like Santi Aldama, Hugo Gonzalez, Sergio de Larrea and Baba Miller. They are currently 5-1 in group play.

It will be interesting to see how much Mara suits up for Spain. Usually at the international level, seniority reigns supreme over talent. The 21-year-old could see rotation minutes, but I think that's about it in terms of his best-case scenario.

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Mara had previously played for Spain in the 2022 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup and in the 2023 FIBA U18 European Championship. So it makes sense that he suits up for the main team as they're about to endure a couple of busy upcoming summers.

The Thunder selected Mara with the No. 12 pick of the 2026 NBA draft. He had a breakout year at Michigan this past season. It resulted in a national championship. The 7-foot-3 center was part of the Wolverines' three-headed frontcourt monster that led them to the trophy. All three guys — Morez Johnson Jr. and Yaxel Lendeborg as the other two — went in the lottery range.

This should be fun to watch Mara play with other NBA players on the international stage. He finished strong in his 2026 NBA Summer League after a slow start. Spain has a solid chance at qualifying for the 2027 FIBA World Cup and eventually participating in the 2028 Olympics.

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Aday Mara to play for Spain in 2026 FIBA World Cup qualifier

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