Oklahoma City Thunder rookie center Aday Mara has done plenty to grab attention in the preseason, but the 21-year-old also made it clear there’s another part of his life he takes very seriously: fishing.
As Oklahoma City gets ready to open the 2026-27 regular season Tuesday against the San Antonio Spurs, Mara talked about settling into Oklahoma City in a video shared by Baloncesto España.
“What I like most is that it's small and there are not many distractions, so to speak. And besides, last year I started fishing, there are lakes, I would like to fish.
Don't laugh, it's serious. Fishing is a serious thing,” Mara said.
When Sergio de Larrea asked how many fish he had caught, Mara answered:
“Many, many. I could show you photos.”
That easygoing moment comes with Mara already building a strong preseason case as one of Oklahoma City's most intriguing young pieces.
The 7-foot-3 center put up 13.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.6 blocks over five preseason games, while shooting 78.8% from the field.
His biggest night came Oct. 7 against the Milwaukee Bucks, when he scored 22 points on a perfect 10-for-10 shooting, added six rebounds and handed out two assists in 25 minutes.
Mara also turned in 17 points, 10 rebounds and six assists against the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 12, showing the kind of all-around impact that can stretch beyond the paint.
Taken with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Mara joins a Thunder team that is trying to get back into championship contention after falling to San Antonio in seven games in last season’s Western Conference Finals.
Oklahoma City starts its season against the Spurs on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. PT on NBC, and Mara now gets his first chance to carry that preseason production into the games that count.
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