He grew up in the neighborhood of Harlem in the New York City borough of Manhattan, playing basketball in its playgrounds.
[2][3][4] Aiken attended St. Bonaventure University in New York State, and played center for their basketball team.
[11] On December 16, 1961, he broke Elgin Baylor's Bluegrass invitational basketball tournament record by scoring 58 points in two games.
[4][15] Aiken played for Águilas Escolapios Schuss de Bilbao (Spain) in 1965–66, and was the top scorer in the Primera División.
[18] He also played for the Newcastle Eagles in 1965–66 under Spanish coach Antonio Diaz Miguel, and led the National League in scoring with 23.9 points per game.
[22] He joined Partenope Napoli that summer and led it to the 1970 Saporta Cup title, over JDA Dijon Basket.
[24] Concurrently with playing for the team, he coached, and earned a long-distance teaching degree at the University of Southern California.
[28][29][30] In 1983, he covered the Super Bowl for Britain's independent Channel Four, London, with the broadcast attracting two million British viewers.