Nathan Mensah (born 9 April 1998) is a Ghanaian professional basketball player for Olympiacos of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the EuroLeague. Known for his immense 7-foot-5-inch (226 cm) wingspan, he played college basketball for the San Diego State Aztecs.[1]
 Mensah in April 2023 | |
| No. 31 – Olympiacos | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center / power forward |
| League | GBL EuroLeague |
| 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–present | Olympiacos |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
High school career
editMensah 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
editAs 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
editCharlotte Hornets / Greensboro Swarm (2023–2024)
editAfter 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)
editOn 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]
Olympiacos (2024–present)
editOn 11 December 2024, Mensah signed with Olympiacos of the Greek Basketball League.[18]
Career statistics
edit| 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
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–24 | Charlotte | 25 | 0 | 12.3 | .429 | — | .750 | 2.6 | .4 | .2 | .6 | 1.3 |
| Career | 25 | 0 | 12.3 | .429 | — | .750 | 2.6 | .4 | .2 | .6 | 1.3 | |
College
edit| 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 | |
Personal life
editReferences
edit- ^ Wilson, Bernie (9 March 2020). "No. 6 Aztecs hope for rest, not rust, during long layoff". USA Today. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
- ^ Zeigler, Mark (4 October 2017). "SDSU lands another hoops recruit from Ghana". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
- ^ Mintah, Yaw (23 January 2020). "San Diego's Mensah diagnosed with blood clots". BasketballGhana.com. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
- ^ Zeigler, Mark (17 January 2020). "Aztecs' Nathan Mensah has 'outside chance' of returning this season". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
- ^ Johnson, Tron (10 November 2020). "Countdown Of The Best Mountain West Basketball Players For 2020-21". Mountain West Wire. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
- ^ Paul, Sean (13 April 2021). "Matt Bradley headed to San Diego State". Mountain West Wire. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
- ^ "Mountain West Reveals 2021-22 Men's Basketball All-Conference Teams". TheMW.com (Press release). Mountain West Conference. 8 March 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
- ^ "Charlotte Hornets Sign Four Players". NBA.com. 5 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ^ Zeigler, Mark (23 June 2023). "Undrafted, SDSU's Nathan Mensah signs deal with NBA's Hornets; many Aztecs foes picked". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ "Hornets Waive Brown, Hunter, Mensah". NBA.com. 21 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ "Greensboro Swarm Announce Training Camp Roster and Coaching Staff for 2023-24 Season". NBA.com. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
- ^ "Hornets Sign Nathan Mensah To Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. 14 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ "Hornets Sign Nathan Mensah To Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. 2 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ "2023-2024 Greensboro Swarm Transaction History". RealGM.com. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ a b Hill, Arthur (13 October 2024). "Spurs Sign, Waive Nathan Mensah". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
- ^ "San Antonio Spurs Officially Sign Recent Hornets Player". SI.com. 29 September 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ^ "Austin Spurs Announce 2024 Training Camp Roster". OurSportsCentral.com. 29 October 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
- ^ "Στα «ερυθρόλευκα» ο Νέιθαν Μενσά". OlympiacosBC.gr (in Greek). 11 December 2024. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
- ^ Zeigler, Mark (9 April 2020). "SDSU's Nathan Mensah remains on track to resume basketball career". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 21 October 2020.