Former Florida guard Alijah Martin (15) looks to throw the ball off of a South Carolina guard as the Florida Gators face the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla. (Matthew Lewis/WRUF)

Former Gator Alijah Martin Named NBA Rising Star

The NBA announced the 2026 Rising Stars Player Pool, which includes Toronto Raptors rookie and former Gator Alijah Martin. Martin will play on the NBA G-League team in the tournament.

Martin was a key part of the Gators Men’s Basketball National Championship team in 2025 and averaged a career high of 14.4 points per game in his graduate season. The Mississippi native became the first player to start in a Final Four with two different teams: the Florida Atlantic Owls in 2023 and the Florida Gators in 2025. He earned second team All-American Conference honors his senior year at FAU.

During his only season at Florida, Martin was a part of the highest scoring trio in school history alongside Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard. He put up three 20+ point games and ranked 3rd for points in a single season by a transfer. Notably, Martin scored 17 points in Florida’s Final Four matchup with Auburn and had two memorable dunks in the second half.

With the Raptors, Martin has made 10 game appearances and put up 30 total career points. In the G-League, he has averaged 18.6 ppg, including a game-high of 23 points against the Noblesville Bloom on Jan. 6th, leading to a victory for the 905 Raptors.

The Rising Stars Mini-Tournament will showcase the league’s standout rookies, second-year players and G-League talents. The game is set for Feb.13th at the LA Clippers’ Intuit Dome during NBA All-Star Weekend.

Category: Basketball, Former Gators, NBA