Melvin Ajinça

Melvin Pierre Ajinça (born 26 June 2004) is a French professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played for Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball of the LNB Pro A.

Centre Fédéral de Basket-ball (2019–2022)
Born in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, Ajinça started his playing career with Centre Fédéral de Basket-ball of the Nationale Masculine 1 in 2019.

Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball (2022–2024)
Ajinça signed with Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball of the LNB Pro B on 30 June 2022. During the 2022–23 season, he averaged 8.4 points per game and was voted the best young player in the league, as Saint-Quentin earned a promotion to the LNB Pro A.

During the 2023–24 season, he averaged 9.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists across 24.5 minutes per game.

Dallas Mavericks (2024–present)
On 2 May 2024, the NBA confirmed that Ajinça was one of the international players who had declared for the 2024 NBA draft.

On 27 June, Ajinça was selected with the 51st overall pick by the New York Knicks in the 2024 NBA draft, but was later traded to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for draft rights to the 58th pick. He was one of five French players selected during the entire draft, following Zaccharie Risacher (the first overall pick), Alex Sarr, Tidjane Salaün and Pacôme Dadiet.

National team career
Ajinça was named to the France under-19 basketball team to play in the 2023 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup. He was named to the second team All-Tournament Team, after averaging 19.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game, as France eventually reached the final before losing to Spain.

Personal life
Ajinça is a cousin of basketball coach and former NBA player Alexis Ajinça.