BERKELEY – Former California men's basketball center Fardaws Aimaq signed a professional contract with Szolnoki Olajbányász of the Hungarian League.
 
A 6-foot-11 big man from Vancouver, British Columbia, Aimaq played for both the Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets during 2024 NBA Sumer League following his lone collegiate season with the Golden Bears in 2023-24.
 
Aimaq produced one of the most dominant rebounding seasons in school history for Cal 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/).