Nathan Mensah
Ghanaian basketball player (born 1998)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nathan Mensah (born 9 April 1998) is a Ghanaian professional basketball player for Petkim Spor of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). Known for his 7-foot-5-inch (226 cm) wingspan, he played college basketball for the San Diego State Aztecs.[1]
Mensah in April 2023 | |
| Petkim Spor | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | Basketbol Süper Ligi |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 9 April 1998 Accra, Ghana |
| Listed height | 2.10 m (6 ft 11 in) |
| Listed weight | 105 kg (231 lb) |
| Career information | |
| High school | |
| College | San Diego State (2018–2023) |
| NBA draft | 2023: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2023–present |
| Career history | |
| 2023 | Greensboro Swarm |
| 2023–2024 | Charlotte Hornets |
| 2023–2024 | →Greensboro Swarm |
| 2024 | Austin Spurs |
| 2024–2025 | Olympiacos |
| 2025–2026 | U-BT Cluj-Napoca |
| 2026 | Büyükçekmece Basketbol |
| 2026–present | Petkim Spor |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
High school career
Mensah grew up playing soccer in Ghana. At the age of 13, he began playing basketball after being recruited to play in a tournament. Mensah was spotted by Kwaku Amoaku and moved to the United States to attend Prolific Prep. In August 2017, he averaged 13.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game for Team Africa in the Adidas Global Nations event. Mensah transferred to Findlay Prep before his senior season. Rated a four-star recruit, Mensah committed to playing college basketball for San Diego State in October 2017, choosing the Aztecs over Oregon, Oregon State, USC and Texas Tech.[2]
College career
As a freshman at San Diego State, Mensah averaged 5.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.[3] On 28 December 2019, Mensah requested to be substituted during the second half of a game against Cal Poly, due to shortness of breath. He was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism, forcing him to miss the remainder of the season.[4] Mensah averaged 6.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore.[5] As a junior, he averaged 8.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.[6] Mensah was named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year as a senior as well as Honorable Mention All-Mountain West,[7] and helped lead the Aztecs to their first Final Four and national championship game.
Professional career
Charlotte Hornets / Greensboro Swarm (2023–2024)
After going undrafted in the 2023 NBA draft, Mensah joined the Charlotte Hornets for the 2023 NBA Summer League. On 5 September 2023, he signed with the Hornets,[8][9] but was waived on 21 October, prior to the start of the season.[10] Eight days later, he signed with the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League.[11] On 14 December, he signed a two-way contract with the Hornets[12] and the next day, he made his NBA debut in a 112–107 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. On 2 March 2024, he was waived by the Hornets[13] and two days later, he returned to Greensboro.[14]
Austin Spurs (2024)
On 28 September 2024, Mensah signed with the San Antonio Spurs,[15][16] but was waived on 13 October.[15] On 29 October, he joined the Austin Spurs.[17]
Mensah played his debut game with the Austin Spurs on November 8, 2024 in a 128 - 117 win over the Osceola Magic where he recorded 6 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 blocks in 17 minutes.[18] He would only play for 12 games during the Tip - Off Tournament, averaging 5.4 points ad 7.0 rebounds in 21.0 minutes per game. This statline greatly helped the Spurs as they had a 9 - 3 record in those 12 games.
However, Mensah would not stay with the Austin Spurs for their regular season as he would play his final game with them on December 10 against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The Spurs won the game 124 - 112 with Mensah recording 6 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks.[19]
Olympiacos (2024–2025)
The day after his final game with the Austin Spurs on 11 December 2024, Mensah signed with Olympiacos of the Greek Basketball League, replacing the injured Moses Wright.[20]
On 23 April 2025, Mensah was released from the Greek club. In 9 games, he averaged 3.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in 12 minutes of play.
Büyükçekmece Basketbol (2026)
On April 9, 2026, he signed with ONVO Büyükçekmece of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL).[21]
Petkim Spor (2026–present)
On July 27, 2026, he signed with Petkim Spor of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL).[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 | Bold | Career high |
NBA
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | San Diego State | 34 | 20 | 18.9 | .541 | – | .708 | 5.5 | .6 | .3 | 1.1 | 5.6 |
| 2019–20 | San Diego State | 13 | 13 | 20.2 | .617 | – | .640 | 6.8 | .3 | .8 | 1.7 | 6.9 |
| 2020–21 | San Diego State | 28 | 27 | 21.4 | .579 | .000 | .600 | 6.1 | .6 | .6 | 1.4 | 8.1 |
| 2021–22 | San Diego State | 32 | 32 | 24.8 | .482 | .250 | .533 | 6.9 | .6 | .8 | 2.2 | 7.0 |
| 2022–23 | San Diego State | 39 | 38 | 20.8 | .521 | .500 | .648 | 5.9 | .6 | .7 | 1.6 | 6.0 |
| Career | 146 | 130 | 21.3 | .539 | .222 | .622 | 6.2 | .6 | .6 | 1.6 | 6.6 | |