Fardaws Aimaq to Play on Sacramento Kings Summer League Team

Former Cal center/forward Aimaq will try to make an impression in the summer league's nationally televised opener

Fardaws Aimaq / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Former Cal center/forward Fardaws Aimaq is still holding out hope of playing in the NBA, and getting invited to play for the Sacramento Kings' summer league team is the first step in that process. And presumably he will get some national television exposure in his first summer game on Saturday against the Lakers and Bronny James.

Playing in NBA summer leagues is by no means an indication that Aimaq is on the verge of making a regular-season NBA roster. However, if Aimaq performs well enough and impresses enough people, he might be invited to the Kings' preseason camp. That would not guarantee him a spot on an NBA roster either, but it would be a step closer.

A strong performance in the summer could create interest from other NBA teams or prepare Aimaq to play in another county.

Unlike Aimaq, former Cal star Jaylon Tyson is likely to make the Cavaliers' regular-season roster because he was a first-round draft pick. But he is also playing in the summer league for the Cavs. Four other players are currently on the Kings summer roster.

Aimaq was not taken in last week's NBA draft, and players on the NBA summer league rosters could be players who were drafted last week, NBA players who had limited playing time this past season, G-league players, foreign players, or free agents like Aimaq.

The 6-foot-11 Fardaws averaged 14.5 points and a conference-leading 11.0 rebounds per game in his one and only season at Cal. He wants to be the first person of Afghan descent to play in the NBA.

He is one of 10 players currently on the Kings' summer league roster. Devin Carter, the Kings' first-round draft pick out of Providence, is one of the Kings' summer league players. Two others were on Pac-12 rosters this past season -- USC's Boogie Ellis and Washington State's Isaac Jones -- and neither was taken in last week's draft. The other six players on the Kings summer roster are Kenan Bleackshear (Nevada), Isaiah Crawford (Louisiana Tech), Lucas Dufeal (JA Vichy), Dane Goodwin (Stockton Kings), Melwin Pantzar (Bilbao Basket) and Hason Ward (Iowa State).

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UPDATE: The Sacramento Kings have split their summer league players into two teams. One Kings team will play in the California Classic in Sacramento, and the other will play in the California Classic in San Francisco.

Aimaq is on the Kings squad that will play in the event in San Francisco. His Kings teammates in that summer league will be Adonis Arms (Memphis Hustle), Kenan Blackshear (Nevada), Ahmad Caver (JDA Dijon), Antoine Davis (Rip City Remix), Jordan Ford (Kings), Dane Goodwin (Stockton Kings), D'Moi Hodge (Rip City Remix), Jay Nagle (Orbi), Yves Pons (Basquet Girona), Xavier Sneed (Happy Casa Brindisi), Hasan Ward (Iowa State).

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A number of other players may be added to summer-league rosters in the coming days, but Tyson and Aimaq are the only two former Cal players on one of those summer rosters now,.

The Kings will open San Francisco summer league play on Saturday afternoon (July 6) against the Los Angeles Lakers' summer League team, which will feature Bronny James and first-round draft pick Dalton Knecht. That is the very first summer-league game and will be televised by ESPN.

Tyson's summer-league squad will not play a summer-league game until July 12 against Orlando.

Time to shine ⭐️@FardawsAimaq has been invited to play for the Sacramento Kings in the California Classic Summer League!#GoBears pic.twitter.com/2MVu7Yyi3x

— Cal Basketball (@CalMBBall) July 1, 2024

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