Aday Mara

Men's basketball

Representing  Spain

FIBA Under-17 World Cup

2022 Spain Team

FIBA U-18 EuroBasket

2023 Serbia Team | | | 2022 Spain | Team | | 2023 Serbia | Team | | | | | | | | | | | | 2022 Spain | Team | | | | | | | | 2023 Serbia | Team | | | | | |

Aday Mara Gómez (born April 7, 2005) is a Spanish college basketball player for the Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten Conference. He was an NCAA national champion and the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2026. Mara previously played for Basket Zaragoza and the UCLA Bruins.

Mara was born and raised in Zaragoza, Spain. His father, Francisco Javier Mara, played basketball professionally for CB Zaragoza from 1986 to 1988. His mother Angélica "Geli" Gómez, played volleyball on the Spain women's national volleyball team. Mara's father and mother stand at 6 feet 7 inches (201 cm) and 6 feet 3 inches (190 cm).

After Mara began to play basketball for Básket Lupus, he joined Zaragoza Basket's youth categories. He was assigned in the lower tiers with Zaragoza's affiliated team Club Baloncesto El Olivar (EBA League). He made his debut in LEB Oro in the also affiliated team Levitec Huesca in a fixture against Tau Castelló in October 2021. On November 17, 2021, Mara made his debut at age 16 with the first team of Casademont Zaragoza in a FIBA Europe Cup fixture against Reggio Emilia, scoring two points. He played in the 2020–21 Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament and averaged 8.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks over four games.

Mara was loaned to CB Peñas Huesca of LEB Oro at the start of the 2021–2022 season due to a roster shortage at the club. He averaged 2.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks over six games. Mara was then assigned to Anagan Olivar of Liga EBA, the Spanish fourth division, where he averaged 10.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game. Mara made his Liga ACB debut with Zaragoza on October 16, 2022, chipping in eight points, four rebounds, one assist and one block. He also took part in the Basketball Without Borders camp during the 2023 NBA All-Star weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah.

On August 3, 2023, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) announced Mara's signing to play college basketball in the United States for the Bruins. He was rated as a five-star recruit and the No. 15 overall prospect in the 2023 class by 247Sports. Casademont Zaragoza contested his move, stating that "contracts must be respected" and warning that they would "take the necessary measures to keep it that way". The dispute led to potential NCAA eligibility issues for Mara, before he was cleared to play for UCLA three days before the start of the 2023–24 season. He was a part-time starter during the season.

In 2024–25, Mara came almost entirely off the bench, but became a major part of the rotation after a breakout game against Wisconsin in late January 2025. He scored a then-career-high 22 points in an 85–83 upset win over the No. 18 Badgers, halting their winning streak at seven. He shot seven-for-seven and added five rebounds, including four offensive, and had two blocks in a then-season-high 21 minutes. Mara followed up with 12 points and seven rebounds along with then–career highs of 30 minutes and five blocks in a win over Washington. His 51 minutes in two games bested his usage in the prior eight contests. In the following game against USC with Tyler Bilodeau out injured, Mara made his only start of the season and recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds along with five blocks again against UCLA's crosstown rivals. In the 2025 NCAA tournament, he had 10 points, six rebounds, five blocks and two assists in 20 minutes in a 72–47 first-round win over Utah State. He ended the season averaging 6.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 13.1 minutes. Following his sophomore season, he entered the NCAA transfer portal.

On April 11, 2025, Mara transferred to the University of Michigan to play for head coach Dusty May and the Wolverines. On November 3 against Oakland, he had a double-double in his Michigan debut, recording twelve points, a career-high twelve rebounds, and tying a career-high with five blocks. On November 11 against Wake Forest, Mara followed his impressive debut with a second double-double, recording 18 points, a career-high 13 rebounds, a career-high six assists, and again tied his career-high with five blocks. With these numbers, he became the second player in history to accumulate more than 30 points, 25 rebounds, 10 blocks and 5 assists in his first two games of a season in the NCAA or NBA, after Tim Duncan who did it in the 2003–04 season with the San Antonio Spurs. On February 5, 2026, Mara posted a career-high six blocks in a 110–69 victory against Penn State, helping Michigan to a school record 21st win before a second loss. On February 8 in a rivalry game victory at Ohio State, Mara had a career-high 24 point effort that included his first two made collegiate three point shots (after never attempting any at UCLA and four misses at Michigan). Mara became the third NCAA Division I 7-foot-3-inch (2.2 m) player to record a three-point shot this season and just the fourth to make multiple threes in a game since the 2002–03 NCAA Division I men's basketball season.

Following the regular season, he was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year (the second in school history after Gary Grant in 1986 and 1987), as well as an All-Big Ten Defensive Team selection and an All-Big Ten third team selection by both the coaches and media. He was also selected to the 2026 Big Ten All-Tournament team after Michigan finished as runner-up to Purdue. In the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA tournament, Mara scored a career-high 26 points on 11-for-16 shooting, adding nine rebounds and two blocks, as Michigan defeated Arizona, 91–73. On April 6, 2026, Mara would win a national championship with Michigan.

Mara played for the Spanish national team at the 2022 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup in Spain. He averaged 12.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game, as Spain advanced to the final before losing to the United States. He was also on the Spanish national team for the 2023 FIBA U18 European Championship in Serbia, again finishing as the runner-up and earning a silver medal.

• UCLA Bruins bio
• Michigan Wolverines bio
• college stats @ Sports Reference