BERKELEY – Former California men's basketball center Fardaws Aimaq has been added to the Denver Nuggets' roster for the 2024 NBA Summer League. Aimaq, a Vancouver, British Columbia, native, played in two games for the Sacramento Kings in the NBA California Classic event last week, but did not make the team's 14-man Summer League roster.
 
The 6-foot-11 big man was productive in his two games with the Kings, averaging 6.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists. He posted team highs in rebounds (8) and assists (5) in the Kings' second California Classic contest against Miami last Sunday.
 
Aimaq will make his Summer League debut with the Nuggets on Sunday against Toronto at 6:30 p.m. PT. The Nuggets have two more scheduled Summer League contests after that; Tuesday vs. Charlotte (3 p.m.) and Thursday vs. Indiana (1:30 p.m.). All NBA Summer League games will be played at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. He is one of two Cal alumni playing in NBA Summer League, joining former teammate Jaylon Tyson, who was the No. 20 overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Draft last month. Tyson scored 15 points on 7-of-14 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds in his Summer League debut on Friday.
 
Aimaq produced one of the most dominant rebounding seasons in school history in his lone season as a Golden Bear in 2023-24, leading the Pac-12 and ranking seventh nationally with 11.0 rebounds per game. He was one of six major-conference players to average a double-double last season, and of those six, he was one of only two to average at least 14.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per game, joining Purdue's Zach Edey, the back-to-back consensus National Player of the Year. Aimaq started all 32 games for Cal and registered 19 double-doubles, one shy of the Bears' single-season record. His 351 total rebounds last season were the third most in school history and the most by a Cal player in 51 years since Ansley Truitt's program-record 382 in the 1971-72 season.
 
Aimaq arrived in Berkeley via the transfer portal from Texas Tech, where he played one season (2022-23). After starting his collegiate career at Mercer in 2018-19, Aimaq spent three seasons – including one redshirt year – at Utah Valley. He was the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2020-21 and a two-time WAC Defensive Player of the Year. In 2020-21, Aimaq led the nation with 15.0 rebounds per game and became the first collegiate player in 40 years to average 15 or more boards per game.
 
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Cal men's basketball, follow the Bears on Twitter/X (@CalMBBall), Instagram (@CalMBBball) and Facebook (/CalMBBall/).