University of Connecticut Athletics
Former Husky Amida Brimah Makes NBA Debut
4/27/2021 11:34:00 AM | Men's Basketball
UConn Athletic Communications / April 27, 2021
Former UConn men's basketball center Amida Brimah, who helped the Huskies win an NCAA Championship and a conference title during his four years with the program, has added another UConn alumnus to the ranks of the NBA.
Brimah, a 2017 UConn graduate, has signed a two-way contract with the NBA's Indiana Pacers and made his NBA debut Sunday night against the Orlando Magic, recording a blocked shot in a Pacers' victory.
He joins former Huskies Rudy Gay (Spurs), Kemba Walker (Celtics), Andre Drummond (Lakers), and now Pacers teammate Jeremy Lamb on current NBA rosters.
Brimah (Accra, Ghana) has been close to making an NBA roster since his UConn graduation in 2017. The center was undrafted, but was in preseason training camps with the Spurs and the Pacers and has played on the summer league teams of the Bulls, Nets and Spurs.
He spent the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons in the G League with the Austin Spurs, twice making the league's All-Defensive Team. He signed a one-year contract with the Pacers last year, but tore his ACL. He again signed with the Pacers this season, but was waived prior to the start of the season. He joined the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers G-League affiliate, and played 10 games, averaging 8.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks, with a .569 field goal percentage before signing the two-way deal.
Brimah played 133 games during his UConn career, starting 102, and led the team in blocked shots in each of his four seasons, finishing with 367, third on UConn's all-time list. His .637 career field goal percentage is the highest in UConn history. He scored 895 points and grabbed 592 rebounds.
As a freshman, Brimah completed a crucial three-point play on an offensive putback against Saint Joseph's in the first round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament, sending the game into overtime, where the Huskies went on to win and spark the run to the 2014 National Championship.
In 2016, Brimah and his UConn teammates captured the American Athletic Conference championship and advanced to the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
Brimah was named the 2014-15 AAC Defensive Player of the Year, was on the AAC All-Rookie Team in 2013-14, and was an All-AAC Honorable Mention pick in 2014-15.
