As the first player off the bench, Aday Mara received thunderous applause. The 21-year-old can now cross off one item from his bucket list. He had officially made his debut for Team Spain. The basketball-obsessed country is pinning its hopes for the health of its international program on his broad shoulders.
Spain fell in a 95-89 loss to Portugal in a 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifier on Friday. It's now 5-2 with 12 points in Group I play — good enough for second place as of now. Despite the result, Mara dazzled in his debut for the senior team.
Mara finished with 12 points on 3-of-8 shooting, six rebounds and two assists. He shot 6-of-7 on free throws. He also had four blocks. He logged 19 minutes off the bench.
Setting a slip screen, Mara rolled
to the basket. He was eventually fed the ball as he muscled his way through traffic for a layup. A fitting way to record his first points as a Spanish player. The 7-foot-3 mammoth-sized center is hopefully next in line to lead the program. Most Spanish fans hope he can carry the torch that Pau Gasol and Marc Gasol initially lit in their 2010s golden years.
That was the first of several highlights for Mara. Summer League was only a month ago, but it might as well have been an eternity. He looked like a completely different player — and for the better. He was more active on the floor. He played lighter on his feet. Heck, he even ran the floor to get an easy one-handed jam in transition.
Spain fed the ball to Mara in the post. He kept going at Neemias Queta in the post. The two kept banging bodies and fighting for positioning in box-outs. To the point that the two had to be separated as words boiled over. The competitive spirit was nice to see from the NBA rookie — especially against a breakout starter on last year's overachieving Boston Celtics.
On defense, Mara's rim protection seamlessly translated to the international level. Anytime one of Portugal's undersized guards dared to drive right at him, he'd either straight-up swat it or force them to take a poorly-angled layup attempt that laughably missed the rim. If his conditioning can keep up, he has a chance to completely change the geometry of the halfcourt defense simply as a roamer. There are only a couple of NBA players taller than him.
Meanwhile, Spain played catch-up for most of the game. It fell behind, 24-18, at the end of the first quarter. And then Spain made a 15-3 run to open the second frame to retake the lead. The scoreboard saw-sawed from that point forward. Spain scored 27 points in the frame. It entered halftime with a 47-41 deficit.
Coming out of the halftime break, Spain played its best stretch. Mara gained confidence as his playmaking was also displayed. A cross-court pass out of the post led to a 3-pointer. Spain suddenly had a 65-59 lead. The Spanish crowd was in a frenzy. It put up a high-scoring 30 points in the third quarter. That tied things up at 71 points apiece entering the final frame.
Alas, Portugal delivered the knockout punch. It had a strong start to the fourth quarter. Spain fell behind by as many as double-digit points. That slow start to the final frame cursed them. They failed to play catch-up the rest of the way. Mara's monster third quarter was juxtaposed by a quiet fourth. Spain only had 18 points in the final frame as its attempts to salvage every final second were for naught.
So, what do you take away from this FIBA World Cup qualifier if you're the Oklahoma City Thunder? All positives, really. Against an NBA starting center, Mara held his own. He looked a lot more comfortable in this setting than in the sleepy Summer League environment. Perhaps his time with OKC's new trainer is paying off. His conditioning was in a completely different stratosphere. Plus, you saw tangible results of what his best-case scenario looks like in a high-leverage game with actual stakes.
This was a fun way to kill some time in late August. Not much is happening in the NBA world. At least Mara is putting in more game reps before he starts his rookie year in the 2026-27 regular season.
It's a lot easier when you're 7'3".
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 🏆 (@FIBAWC) August 28, 2026
Aday Mara records his first points in his senior debut for Spain.#FIBAWC | #StepItUp pic.twitter.com/AT281g4yZo
Get used to it, Aday Mara will be hosting block parties regularly now. 🧱#FIBAWC | #StepItUp pic.twitter.com/uyJK4D9sCQ
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 🏆 (@FIBAWC) August 28, 2026
The ladies love Aday Mara.#FIBAWC | #StepItUp pic.twitter.com/v8qfTiIuDp
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 🏆 (@FIBAWC) August 28, 2026
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifier: Aday Mara debuts for Spain in 95-89 loss to Portugal
