Alexis Ajinça
French basketball player (born 1988)
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Alexis Ajinça (French pronunciation: [alɛksi aʒɛ̃sa]; born 6 May 1988) is a French former professional basketball player who is currently an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played seven seasons in the league for the Charlotte Bobcats, Dallas Mavericks, Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Pelicans.
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Ajinça with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2014 | |
| Washington Wizards | |
|---|---|
| Title | Assistant coach |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 6 May 1988 Saint-Étienne, France |
| Listed height | 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) |
| Listed weight | 248 lb (112 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | INSEP (Paris, France) |
| NBA draft | 2008: 1st round, 20th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Charlotte Bobcats |
| Playing career | 2006–2019 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 8, 21, 42 |
| Coaching career | 2023–present |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 2006–2007 | Pau-Orthez |
| 2007–2008 | Hyères-Toulon |
| 2008–2010 | Charlotte Bobcats |
| 2009 | →Sioux Falls Skyforce |
| 2009–2010 | →Maine Red Claws |
| 2010–2011 | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2011 | Toronto Raptors |
| 2011 | Hyères-Toulon |
| 2011–2013 | SIG Strasbourg |
| 2013–2018 | New Orleans Pelicans |
| 2018–2019 | ASVEL Basket |
Coaching | |
| 2023–2024 | Capital City Go-Go (assistant) |
| 2024–present | Washington Wizards (assistant) |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 1,553 (5.3 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,150 (3.9 rpg) |
| Blocks | 181 (.6 bpg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Early life
Professional career
Early years (2006–2008)
After attending France's INSEP,[2] Ajinça played for Pau-Orthez during the 2006–07 season. He joined Hyères-Toulon for the 2007–08 season and averaged 5.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.[1]
Charlotte Bobcats (2008–2010)
Ajinça was selected with the 20th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Charlotte Bobcats.[3] The Bobcats wanted to select a big man after selecting guard D. J. Augustin earlier in the draft and believed that Ajinça possessed the most potential of players available.[1]
During his rookie season, he spent time with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League. During his second season with Charlotte, he spent time with the Maine Red Claws.[citation needed]
Dallas Mavericks (2010–2011)
On 13 July 2010, Ajinça was traded, along with Tyson Chandler, to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Erick Dampier, Eduardo Nájera, Matt Carroll.[4]
Toronto Raptors (2011)
On 24 January 2011, Ajinça was traded, along with a future second-round draft pick and cash considerations, to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for the draft rights to Georgios Printezis.[5]
Return to France (2011–2013)
On 2 November 2011, Ajinça joined Paris-Levallois for a one-week tryout.[6] He left the team on 8 November[7] and joined Hyères-Toulon two days later.[8] He appeared in just two games with Hyères-Toulon before parting ways with the team.
After failing to make a return to the NBA following the conclusion of the NBA lockout,[9] Ajinça returned to France and signed with SIG Strasbourg on 29 December 2011.[10] On 13 August 2012, he re-signed with Strasbourg for the 2012–13 season.[11] On 6 August 2013, he re-signed with Strasbourg for the 2013–14 season.[12] On 18 December 2013, he left Strasbourg to return to the NBA.[13]
New Orleans Pelicans (2013–2018)
On 20 December 2013, Ajinça signed with the New Orleans Pelicans.[14] On 9 July 2015, he re-signed with the Pelicans.[15] On 8 April 2016, he recorded career highs with 28 points and 15 rebounds in a 110–102 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.[16]
On 7 December 2017, after missing all of the 2017–18 season up to that point, Ajinça was ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his right patellar tendon, an injury that typically takes four to six months to recover.[17]
On 15 October 2018, Ajinça was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Wesley Johnson.[18] He was waived by the Clippers immediately upon being acquired.[18]
ASVEL (2018–2019)
On 28 December 2018, Ajinça returned to France and signed with ASVEL Basket.[19]
Coaching career
On 13 October 2023, Ajinça was hired as an assistant coach by the Capital City Go-Go of the NBA G League.[20]
On 10 July 2024, Ajinça became an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards.[21]
National team career
In September 2013, Ajinça represented the French national team at EuroBasket 2013 in Slovenia. He averaged 9.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.[22]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | PIR | Performance index rating |
| Bold | Career high |
NBA
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | Charlotte | 31 | 4 | 5.9 | .362 | .000 | .714 | 1.0 | .1 | .2 | .2 | 2.3 |
| 2009–10 | Charlotte | 6 | 0 | 5.0 | .500 | .000 | .000 | .7 | .0 | .2 | .2 | 1.7 |
| 2010–11 | Dallas | 10 | 2 | 7.5 | .375 | .429 | .667 | 1.7 | .2 | .3 | .5 | 2.9 |
| 2010–11 | Toronto | 24 | 0 | 11.0 | .465 | .333 | .733 | 2.5 | .3 | .3 | .6 | 4.8 |
| 2013–14 | New Orleans | 56 | 30 | 17.0 | .544 | .000 | .836 | 4.9 | .7 | .4 | .8 | 5.9 |
| 2014–15 | New Orleans | 68 | 8 | 14.1 | .550 | .000 | .818 | 4.6 | .7 | .3 | .8 | 6.5 |
| 2015–16 | New Orleans | 59 | 17 | 14.6 | .476 | .000 | .839 | 4.6 | .5 | .3 | .6 | 6.0 |
| 2016–17 | New Orleans | 39 | 15 | 15.0 | .500 | .000 | .725 | 4.5 | .3 | .5 | .6 | 5.3 |
| Career | 293 | 76 | 13.3 | .503 | .286 | .797 | 3.9 | .5 | .3 | .6 | 5.3 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | New Orleans | 3 | 0 | 3.3 | 1.000 | .000 | .000 | .3 | .3 | .3 | .0 | 2.7 |
| Career | 3 | 0 | 3.3 | 1.000 | .000 | .000 | .3 | .3 | .3 | .0 | 2.7 | |
EuroLeague
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | Pau-Orthez | 2 | 0 | 4.2 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 1.5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | -3.0 |
| 2013–14 | SIG Strasbourg | 9 | 9 | 25.5 | .553 | .000 | .757 | 5.4 | 1.7 | .9 | .9 | 17.1 | 17.2 |
| Career | 11 | 9 | 21.6 | .534 | .000 | .757 | 4.7 | 1.4 | .7 | .7 | 14.0 | 13.5 | |
Personal life
Ajinça and his wife Courtney have two sons, Carter and Caysen.[23][24] His cousin, Melvin Ajinça, is a professional basketball player.[25]
