While some teams have been conservative about the players they use at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, the Memphis Grizzlies have been open-minded. 

Last year, Xavier Tillman Sr. made an appearance despite playing rotation minutes for much of the previous season. Desmond Bane played in 2021 after a rookie season as a role player off the bench. So did Ziaire Williams in 2022. 

So it would make sense for the Grizzlies to send Santi Aldama, a 22-year-old who played a key role off the bench this summer. In fact, he would probably take on a star role. 

But that is very much up in the air, mostly because Aldama is likely to be playing for another team: the Spanish national team. 

“Obviously, there is still a long time until that happens and this is a big summer for me development-wise,” Aldama said. “I’m going to be (in Memphis) working hard, but I am also looking forward to joining and representing my country. 

“That is something I have been dreaming of since I was a little kid watching them play. To have the opportunity to be a part of that is going to be huge for me and my family. It is such an honor.”

It was with the U18 Spanish national team that the Grizzlies first recognized Aldama as a pro prospect. He won the gold medal at 2019 FIBA U18 European Championship in Greece, and averaged 18 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.3 blocks in the tournament. 

Aldama is proud of his Spanish background and looked up to former Memphis Grizzlies players Pau Gasol and Marc Gasol when he was growing up. 

He is originally from the town of Las Palmas, a city in the Canary Islands, close to 90 miles off the coast of Morocco. Last summer, teammate Williams joined Aldama on a trip back to his home, which requires a 19-hour travel day. 

The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup is scheduled to take place from late August to early September in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines. The event is used to help determine which countries will qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. 

Many of the NBA’s stars, such as Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and others, have competed for their countries in the past in an attempt to help them qualify. 

Seven national teams will directly qualify for the Olympic Games based on the FIBA World Cup. The seven spots will include two teams from Americas, two teams from Europe, one team from Africa, one team from Asia and one team from Oceania. France, the host country, automatically qualifies. 

The rest of the 12-team Olympic field is determined by qualifying tournaments that will be played in 2024. 

Aldama, if he is indeed a participant, could be an important piece to the Spanish roster, and one of only a handful of other players with NBA experience. 

Other NBA players to recently play for the Spanish national team include Ricky Rubio, Juancho Hernangomez, Willy Hernangomez and Usman Garuba. 

“I think (the Spanish national team) will be a really good opportunity for Santi to continue to work on his body and his game,” Grizzlies general manager and executive vice president of basketball operations Zach Klieman said Sunday.

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