Fardaws Aimaq

Fardaws Aimaq (born January 6, 1999) is a Canadian basketball player who most recently competed for the California Golden Bears of the Pac-12 Conference. He previously played for the Mercer Bears, Utah Valley Wolverines, and Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Early life and high school career
Aimaq grew up swimming and practiced mixed martial arts for 11 years, earning a black belt. He started playing competitive basketball after growing to 6'3" during eighth grade. Aimaq attended Steveston-London Secondary School in Richmond, British Columbia. He led his team to its first-ever AAA provincial title game. Aimaq played a postgraduate season at Bridgton Academy in Bridgton, Maine. He averaged 18.6 points and 13.8 rebounds per game, earning First Team All-NEPSAC Class AAA honors. Aimaq committed to playing college basketball for Mercer.

College career
As a freshman at Mercer, Aimaq averaged five points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He left the program after head coach Bob Hoffman was fired. He transferred to Utah Valley and sat out for one season due to NCAA transfer rules. On December 12, 2020, Aimaq scored 27 points and grabbed a program-record 20 rebounds in a 93–88 loss to Wyoming. On January 15, 2021, he recorded 29 points and 14 rebounds in a 93–92 win over Seattle. On February 13, Aimaq posted 18 points and 25 rebounds, breaking his program record for rebounds in a game, as Utah Valley lost to Dixie State, 93–89. As a sophomore, he led NCAA Division 1 in rebounding with 15 rebounds per game in addition to 13.9 points, 1.6 assists and 1.7 blocks per game. Aimaq was named WAC Men's Basketball Player of the Year and WAC Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Year. Following the season, he declared for the 2021 NBA draft, but ultimately returned to Utah Valley for his junior season. As a junior, he averaged a career-high 18.9 points per game, along with 13.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.3 blocks. He repeated as the WAC Defensive Player of the Year as well as a First Team All-WAC honor.

On March 18, 2022, Aimaq entered the transfer portal and also declared for the 2022 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility. On April 30, 2022, Aimaq committed to Texas Tech. He suffered a foot injury prior to the season, which limited him to only 11 games played. He averaged 11.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Following the season, Aimaq exercised his additional year of eligibility and announced he would again enter the transfer portal. On April 7, 2023, Aimaq committed to California, reuniting with head coach Mark Madsen whom he played for at Utah Valley.

After a tournament game in November 2023, Aimaq was captured on video confronting a man in the stands. The man had allegedly hurled verbal abuse at Aimaq during the game. The man was approached and threatened by Aimaq. No other fans during the game overhead the "slurs." Aimaq's coach came to his defense, citing the fan's abuse as abhorrent, but not condoning Aimaq's actions.

Personal life
Aimaq's father, Faramarz, is from Afghanistan but moved to Germany, before settling in Canada, to escape the Soviet-Afghan War. Aimaq is a Muslim.