Mario Saint-Supery is leaving Unicaja Malaga for Gonzaga University, joining a growing number of top Spanish prospects heading to the NCAA. The 19-year-old’s departure, confirmed by the club president, comes after a standout ACB season with BAXI Manresa.
Spanish prospect Mario Saint-Supery is the latest rising star to leave the domestic development system for the NCAA, joining Gonzaga University, one of the premier programs in U.S. college basketball.
The move signals another seismic shift in Spanish basketball’s youth talent pipeline, with Unicaja Malaga confirming the transfer.
Born in 2006, Saint-Supery is considered one of the top talents in his age group and will follow in the footsteps of players like Domantas Sabonis and Killian Tillie, who also developed at Gonzaga after coming through Unicaja’s system.
Unicaja president Antonio Jesus Lopez Nieto confirmed that Saint-Supery’s agent, Igor Crespo, notified the club of the decision weeks ago. The player will activate a buyout clause worth approximately €500,000, which the club expects to be paid in full.
“Mario is leaving. It’s a reflection of the current landscape,” said Lopez Nieto. “He has an offer that no ACB or even EuroLeague team can match—not just financially but academically. It’s a unique opportunity. We wish him the best.”
Despite the departure, Lopez Nieto left the door open for a future return:
“If one day he comes back to Europe and we’re in the same financial range as others, I hope agents don’t interfere and that Mario returns to where he feels at home.”
The president also lamented the loss from a symbolic standpoint:
“I dreamed of seeing his jersey hanging in our arena. That’s how highly we rate him. But the market has changed, and this is part of the evolution.”
Saint-Supery, who spent last season on loan at BAXI Manresa, impressed in limited minutes. In under 15 minutes per game, he averaged 8.3 points, 2.1 assists, and 2.1 rebounds, good for 8.4 efficiency rating—a statistical tier only matched at his age in the ACB era by Luka Doncic, Ricky Rubio, and Sergio Rodríguez.
Now, the talented guard has his eyes firmly set on college success in the U.S. and eventually the NBA.
