Spanish club contesting NBA eligibility of Thunder rookie Aday Mara over contract dispute

The Oklahoma City Thunder insisted Friday that rookie center Aday Mara is eligible to play for the team, despite claims raised by the lottery pick’s former club in Spain that it would need to release him from the terms of the contract he signed with them as a teenager for him to be able to play in the NBA.

The Spanish newspaper Heraldo de Aragón reported Friday that Liga ACB club Casademont Zaragoza claims it holds the playing rights to Mara — a 7-foot-3 center whom the Thunder selected out of Michigan with the No. 12 overall pick in June’s 2026 NBA Draft — through 2027, and plans to block his ability to play for another club “until a financial settlement regarding his departure is reached,” according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.

“Basket Zaragoza wishes Aday Mara the best of luck in his new sporting endeavors and remains committed to developing players in its youth academy,” Zaragoza wrote in a statement. “At the same time, as an organization, the Club has an obligation to protect its rights, ensure compliance with existing contracts, and defend the interests of Basket Zaragoza, taking all necessary legal action.”

The Thunder, for their part, say that Zaragoza’s statement and claims have no bearing on whether or not Mara will be eligible to suit up when the Thunder open the 2026-27 NBA regular season.

“Aday last played three years of NCAA college basketball and therefore, as advised by the NBA, no clearance from the Spanish team is required for him to play in the NBA,” a Thunder spokesperson told Yahoo Sports.

Mara began his playing career with Zaragoza, his hometown club, making his first-team debut back in 2021 at the age of 16. When Mara came over to the U.S. in 2023, signing with UCLA as a heralded five-star recruit, Zaragoza contested his eligibility, claiming that he remained under contract with his club in Spain and thus was not free to play elsewhere.

“The message that a prestigious university like this sends is that contracts between parties do not have to be fulfilled,” Zaragoza general manager Jose Artigas wrote in an email to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. “I don’t know what the UCLA law professors would think.”

The club sued Mara for breach of contract, seeking more than $600,000 to allow him to exit his deal.

“We want him to fulfill the contract,” Artigas wrote. “And if he wants to leave, he must pay.”

Mara was ultimately cleared to play for the Bruins just before the start of the 2023-24 college basketball season, and averaged 5.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 11.5 minutes per game across two seasons in Westwood. He then transferred to Ann Arbor for the 2025-26 campaign and blossomed, making more than two-thirds of his field goal attempts and earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors as the starting center for a Wolverines squad that went 37-3 and won the national championship.

The gifts Mara showcased at Michigan — the scoring touch on the interior, the shot-blocking acumen, the deft touch as a passer — combined with his 7-foot-3, 255-pound, 7-foot-6-wingspan frame to make him a lottery selection, chosen by the Thunder with the 12th pick in June’s draft. The 21-year-old turned heads throughout preseason play, averaging 13.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.4 blocks in 23.3 minutes per game and making an impact on both ends of the floor:

But with Mara poised to make his NBA debut next week, Zaragoza has renewed its objections to him plying his trade for another professional organization.

“FIBA regulations do not require an international transfer to play in the NCAA, which does not recognize it,” Zaragoza wrote in a statement. “Therefore, when [Mara] joined UCLA (NCAA) in 2023, the club did not make his departure contingent on the granting of a transfer, but rather defended its rights in court. This does not mean that his departure terminated his contract or that he was excluded from the FIBA ​​system.”

As it stands, it appears Mara will be eligible to participate when Oklahoma City tip off the season against the rival San Antonio Spurs and 7-foot-5 MVP finalist Victor Wembanyama in Texas on Tuesday night.