Justin Minaya

Born on March 26, 1999, Justin Minaya is a professional basketball player of Dominican-American heritage. Currently, he is a member of the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association (NBA), holding a two-way contract with the Rip City Remix of the NBA G League. Coining his athletic prowess, Justin’s bloodline contains sports as a prominent feature, being the son of Major League Baseball executive Omar Minaya.

Minaya’s early life revolved primarily around basketball. As he graduated high school, Minaya was an unranked recruit in college basketball, yet that didn’t impede the stream of offers he received from different colleges across America. South Carolina, UNC Wilmington, Boston University, Illinois, Iona, and UMass presented him with official offers to play for their college basketball teams. Analyzing all opportunities, Minaya undertook official visits with South Carolina and UNC Wilmington, finally deciding on the former. He officially committed to South Carolina and signed his letter of intent on May 15, 2017.

The next major chapter of Minaya’s life was set at the University of South Carolina, where he spent four seasons (2017 to 2021) playing for the Gamecocks. Here, he learned the tenets of teamwork, resilience, and discipline under head coach Frank Martin. However, his journey was not without hardships. He could only play five games in the 2018-19 season due to a severe knee injury that kept him off the court. The trials of physicality weren’t over for Minaya, as he had to undergo surgery on his thumb in 2020, temporarily deferring his gameplay.

Undeterred by the physical travails, Minaya transferred to Providence for his graduate season following his time at South Carolina. At Providence, he managed to play 32 games in the 2021-22 season, starting 25 of those matches. Throughout the season, he averaged 6.5 points per game, contributing to the Friars’ victorious Big East regular season of 2022. His consistent performance also led the Friars to advance to Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament, securing wins against South Dakota State and Richmond before succumbing to Kansas.

Post-providence, even though Minaya went undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft, he landed an opportunity to showcase his skills by joining the Charlotte Hornets for the 2022 NBA Summer League. His performance garnered attention, and he was signed by Capitanes de Ciudad de México for the start of the 2022-23 NBA G League season.

Minaya’s big break arrived on April 4, 2023, when he signed a 10-day contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. The same night he made his NBA debut, marking his entry with a promising performance scoring 8 points, despite the Blazers’ 119-109 loss against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Continuing the momentum, Justin Minaya joined the Blazers for the 2023 NBA Summer League in June 2023. Recognizing his potential and performance, the Blazers re-signed him on October 2, 2023. Taking a forward stride in his career, his deal was modified on October 21, 2023, converting it into a two-way contract with the Rip City Remix of NBA G League.

Every chapter of Minaya’s journey uniquely shapes his basketball career. His resilience and determination, coupled with his skills on the court, make him not only a player to watch but a testament to the power of unwavering commitment to one’s passion in sports.