RJ Meléndez

Ramses "RJ" Meléndez Vega (born December 3, 2002) is a Puerto Rican basketball player for the Scaligera Basket Verona of the Lega Basket Serie A. He played college basketball for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. He previously played for the Illinois Fighting Illini of the Big Ten Conference and the Georgia Bulldogs of the Southeastern Conference. He has represented the Puerto Rico men's national basketball team.

Early life Meléndez was born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. He attended high school at Central Pointe Christian Academy in Kissimmee, Florida.

As a junior, he averaged 18.6 points per game. He led CPCA to its first-ever SIAA state title and earned finals MVP honors. He averaged 24.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals and 2.3 blocks as a senior, leading Central Pointe (CPCA) to a 33-7 record and took home Sunshine Independent Athletic Association (SIAA) Player of the Year and first-team All-SIAA. He finished his career as CPCA’s all-time leading scorer with 2,006 points.

College career As a freshman, Meléndez played in 22 games. He averaged 3.8 points and 1.7 rebounds. The dunk cut the lead to 4 in favor of Houston, but the technical foul awarded Houston free throws and the basketball. Illinois coach Brad Underwood lamented the shift in momentum caused by the call. The Cougars won the game 68–53 and moved on to their second consecutive Sweet 16. Meléndez provided nine points and three assists in the game.

In his sophomore year, Meléndez' playing time increased, but his offensive performance declined to the point where he could only be counted on for his defense. After his disappointing sophomore season, Meléndez entered the transfer portal. He ultimately opted to transfer to Georgia.

Following his junior season at Georgia, Melendez transferred again, this time to Mississippi State. He averaged 8.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

Professional career In 2025, Melendez signed with the Mexico City Capitanes of the NBA G League.

National team Melendez played in the 2019 U17 Centrobasket Championships. He averaged 9.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game and helped Puerto Rico to a silver medal.