As time marches on with Florida’s 2025 national title squad, the headliner of the team is forever going to be Walter Clayton Jr. He was, after all, the MOP of the Final Four, and he wound up being the first round pick from the group.
But Alijah Martin’s role with that team should never be forgotten, and the guard has been able to work his way from being a second-round pick with Toronto to a contract extension that will keep him with Toronto for a couple of more years.
Former Gator Alijah Martin signs contract extension with Toronto
Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Martin has signed a two-year, $4.8 million deal with the Raptors. It’s a huge bump from the $111,000 he made as a rookie after being a second-round pick.
Martin spent the bulk of the 2025/26 season in the G-League, but began to see increased opportunities with the Raptors in January. He scored his first career NBA points on 1/7 against Boston, and he had four steals in one game against Philadelphia on 1/11. He was largely relegated to mop-up duty or rotational play down the stretch, but Raptors fans noted his hard-nose style and grittiness that he flashed while at Florida.
With Toronto making a huge splash and bringing back Kawhi Leonard, it’s not 100% clear what Martin’s role will be in 2026/27, but the fact that they were impressed enough to sign him to an extension should give Martin some runway to continue to develop.
Martin spent only one year with the Gators, but it was memorable. In many ways, he was the glue guy that Florida needed to get them over the finish line. His most memorable moment came in the Final Four against Auburn, when he posterized them so bad that Bruce Pearl opted to retire. But his role behind the scenes as a leader shouldn’t be slept on.
When Florida ran various behind-the-scenes features on the team, Martin always had a demeanor to him that looked like he wasn’t impressed by the season Florida had had to that point. And throughout the 2025 NCAA Tournament, it was Martin who refused to let Florida feel sorry for itself when things weren’t going well.
Martin was drafted No. 39 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft by Toronto. He was one of three Gator players drafted last year, joining Clayton Jr. and Will Richard.
Add us as a preferred source on Google