Former Gator Alijah Martin Impresses in NBA Rising Stars Game 

Former Florida Gators guard Alijah Martin participated in the NBA Rising Stars tournament for Team Austin Friday, leading the team with 10 minutes played. 

The tournament consisted of four teams coached by Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, and Austin Rivers. Rivers’ Team Austin included names like Yang Hansen, Ron Harper Jr. , Tristen Newton and Alijah Martin. The tournament format pitted Team Austin against Team Melo and Team Vince against Team T-Mac, with the winners meeting in the championship game. 

Despite Team Austin’s 40-34 loss to Team Melo, Martin made the most of his time in the tournament, hitting two 3-pointers, gathering four rebounds and tacking on three assists. The 2025 39th overall pick also led the team in box plus-minus, a stat indicating a player’s overall impact on the team’s performance. His rating of three made him the only member of Team Austin to post a positive mark.

Martin was also selected to represent Toronto alongside fellow two-way guard AJ Lawson in the 2026 G League Next Up game Sunday, hitting one 3-pointer and snagging two rebounds in the contest.

Martin is averaging 18.6 points per game on 49% shooting for Raptors 905, the Raptors’ G League team, making him the second leading scorer on a per-game basis. In the NBA, the 24-year old guard has yet to receive any significant opportunities, averaging just 2.6 points on 7.5 minutes across 13 games. Martin’s best NBA opportunities thus far came in back-to-back games on Jan. 9 and 11,, amassing 7 points and 3 assists in 15 minutes against Boston, and 11 points and 8 rebounds in 30 minutes against Philadelphia.

His most recent appearances include Feb. 8 vs. Indiana and Feb. 11 vs. Detroit, scoring two points in four minutes in each game. The Raptors will be back in action Thursday against the Bulls at 8 p.m.

Category: Former Gators, NBA