Thon Marial Maker (born 25 February 1997) is a South Sudanese-Australian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for the

Fujian Sturgeons Fujian SBS Xunxing Sturgeons (Simplified Chinese: 福建SBS浔兴鲟) or Fujian Xunxing or Fujian SBS are a Chinese professional men's basketball team in the Chinese Basketball Association, based in Jinjiang, Quanzhou, Fujian. The "SBS" reflects c ...

of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier professional men's basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

(CBA). He attended high school at

Orangeville District Secondary School Orangeville District Secondary School is located at 22 Faulkner Street in Orangeville, Ontario, Canada, and is the oldest secondary school in the town. It was built in its current state after the old high school (originally built in 1884) burne ...

and played basketball for Canada's

Athlete Institute The Athlete Institute is an athletic centre located in Mono, Ontario. It is made up of two facilities, the training centre and the fieldhouse. The institute is home to The Orangeville Prep Basketball Academy, who compete in the Ontario Scholastic ...

. He was picked 10th overall in the 2016 NBA draft, and played for three different NBA teams between 2016 and 2021.

Early life

Maker was born in Wau, a city located in what is now

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of th ...

. His uncle, a local administrator, arranged for Maker, his younger brother, Matur, and his aunt to escape the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The ...

. From there, they were accepted as refugees by Australia; they then moved to

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...

when Maker was five years of age and the family eventually settled down. When he was 14, Maker was discovered playing soccer in the Perth suburb of Mirrabooka, by Edward Smith, an Australian of

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

heritage who helps children from migrant backgrounds receive opportunities they otherwise wouldn't get. Smith had previously helped fellow South Sudanese immigrants Ater Majok and

Mathiang Muo Mathiang Mauot Muo (born 4 March 1987) is an Australian-South Sudanese professional basketball player for the Joondalup Wolves of the NBL1 West. He played four seasons of college basketball in the United States between 2009 and 2013 before jo ...

, now both professional basketball players. Smith offered his aunt to feed, clothe and educate Maker in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

where Maker played basketball for the St. George Basketball Association during 2011. Just before the team's playoffs, Maker and Smith left to attend a talent camp in Texas.

High school career

Once in the United States, Maker attended two schools in Louisiana, including

Metairie Park Country Day School Metairie Park Country Day School is a private, nondenominational, co-educational college preparatory school preparatory day school in Metairie, Louisiana, with classes in grades Pre-Kindergarten– 12. The campus is located in the Old Metai ...

, before finally settling down at Carlisle School in

Martinsville, Virginia Martinsville is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,485. A community of both Southside and Southwest Virginia, it is the county seat of Henry County, althou ...

. During his freshman and sophomore years playing for Carlisle's varsity team, Maker averaged 22.2 points, 13.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 4.5 blocks over a total of 53 games. As a sophomore, he earned 2013–14 Gatorade Virginia Boys Basketball Player of the Year honours after leading Carlisle to a state championship. On 5 September 2014, Maker and his brother enrolled at the

Mono, Ontario The Town of Mono is situated in south-central Ontario, Canada, at the south-east corner of Dufferin County. It stretches from Highway 9 along its southern border to Highway 89 along its northern border. Its border to the west is with the Townsh ...

where Edward Smith was already an assistant coach. In conjunction with the Athlete Institute, the brothers enrolled at

in the nearby town of Orangeville. On 29 December 2014, Maker scored 16 points and 9 rebounds in a 79–75 win over

Dennis Smith Jr. Dennis Cliff Smith Jr. (born November 25, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended North Carolina State University for one season of college basketba ...

and Trinity Christian School. On 30 December 2014, Maker scored 24 points and 11 rebounds as his team loss to Harry Giles and Wesleyan Christian Academy in the championship game of the High School OT Holiday Invitational tournament. On 18 February 2015, Maker announced his decision to reclassify into the 2015 class, which would have made 2014–15 his final year of high school. He later participated in the 2015 Nike Hoop Summit in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...

. Playing alongside fellow Australian

Ben Simmons Benjamin David Simmons (born 20 July 1996) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for one season with the LSU Tigers, after which he was ...

in the April 11 game, Maker recorded 10 rebounds, two points and one block as the World Team defeated Team USA, 103–101. On 18 June 2015, Maker announced his decision to remain in the Class of 2016, and returned to Orangeville Prep for the 2015–16 season. Maker noted how stressful it was working toward entering the Class of 2015, with the issue centred on his workload and the pressure with "trying to get it all done at once". He was being recruited by Arizona State,

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the sta ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

, Notre Dame, St. John's and

UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...

. On 21 June 2015, Maker was named MVP at the National Basketball Player's Association Top 100 camp. On 3 April 2016, Maker declared his intentions to enter the 2016 NBA draft, a decision that required a ruling from the NBA to determine his eligibility. To skip a year of college, Maker had to convince the NBA he graduated from Orangeville Prep in 2015. He successfully did so, proving he graduated from high school in June 2015 but elected to stay for a postgraduate year, fulfilling both the minimum age and one year removed requirements to the NBA's satisfaction. With a successful ruling, Maker became just the second player in more than a decade to make the leap from high school in North America straight to the draft and the first to play in the NBA since the league introduced the "one-and-done" rule for high school students in 2005. Coming out of high school, Maker was considered a five-star recruit by most basketball recruiting services.

Professional career

NBA draft

Maker attended the 2016 NBA Draft Combine, where he was measured as the third-tallest player without shoes at and recorded the highest no-step vertical jump (32") of any player over in NBA Draft Combine history. In the days leading up to the draft, a number of teams ruled themselves out of selecting Maker in the first round over concerns that his age had been misrepresented, as some believed Maker to be between 21–23 years of age despite being officially listed as a 19-year-old. Despite those concerns, he was selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2016 draft by the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 196 ...

, becoming the first high school player taken in the first round since the 2005 Collective Bargaining Agreement went into effect.

Milwaukee Bucks (2016–2019)

During the 2016 NBA Summer League, Maker averaged 14.2 points and 9.6 rebounds in five games for the Bucks and subsequently earned All-NBA Summer League Second Team honours. On 30 July 2016, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Bucks. Maker made his NBA debut on 30 October 2016, entering the game with 95 seconds remaining in the final term of the Bucks' 98–83 loss to the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

; he recorded one rebound. On 21 January 2017, he made his first start for the Bucks and subsequently had six points in 18 minutes in a 109–97 loss to the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

. On 1 February 2017, he scored a season-high 12 points in a 104–88 loss to the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

. On 10 February 2017, in the Bucks' first game since Jabari Parker was ruled out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury, Maker started in Parker's place and recorded seven points and six rebounds in 17 minutes in a 122–114 loss to the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

. The following day, he had a second 12-point effort in a 116–100 win over the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first estab ...

. On 31 March 2017, he scored a career-high 23 points in a 108–105 overtime win over the

. On 22 November 2017, Maker scored a season-high 16 points against the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

. On 1 January 2018, he tied his season high with 16 points against the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

. In game 3 of the Bucks' first-round playoff series against the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

, Maker scored 14 points and blocked five shots, as the Bucks cut the series deficit to 2–1 with a 116–92 win. He again blocked five shots in game 4, helping the Bucks even the series at 2–2 with a 104–102 win. The Bucks went on to lose the series in seven games. On 7 January 2019, Maker had a season-high 15 points off the bench in a 114–102 win over the Jazz. By late January, having had a reduced role in 2018–19 under new coach Mike Budenholzer, Maker reportedly requested a trade from the Bucks.

Detroit Pistons (2019–2020)

On 7 February 2019, Maker was acquired by the

in a three-team trade involving the Bucks and

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

. On 22 February, he sank a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 16.7 seconds remaining to lift the Pistons to a 125–122 win over the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

. It was announced on 19 November 2020 that Pistons general manager Troy Weaver opted to not extend Maker a qualifying offer, allowing him to become a free agent.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2020–2021)

On 30 November 2020, Maker signed a training camp contract with the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central ...

. He played eight games for the Cavaliers in the 2020–21 season, scoring 30 points and collecting 18 rebounds, before being

waived A waiver is the voluntary relinquishment or surrender of some known right or privilege. Regulatory agencies of state departments or the federal government may issue waivers to exempt companies from certain regulations. For example, a United St ...

on 13 January 2021.

Hapoel Jerusalem (2021)

On 25 August 2021, Maker signed a deal with

Hapoel Jerusalem Hapoel Jerusalem is a sport organization in Jerusalem as a local branch of the Hapoel movement. The branch was established in the 1920s and represents the city in more sports than any other sport organization in Jerusalem. Today, the club's lead ...

of the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional competition in Israeli club basketball, making it Israel's primary basketball c ...

. He parted ways with the team on 12 December, after averaging 2.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

Long Island Nets (2022)

On 21 January 2022, Maker was acquired via available player pool by the

Long Island Nets The Long Island Nets are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Uniondale, New York, and are affiliated with the Brooklyn Nets. The team plays its home games at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Nassau Count ...

Fujian Sturgeons (2022–present)

On 28 July 2022, Maker signed with the

National team career

In April 2015, Maker declared his intentions to play for the Australian national team despite heavy interest from

Basketball Canada Canada Basketball (CB) is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in Canada. ...

—the organisation had considered Maker and his younger brother Matur as potential Canadian players. On 29 June 2018, he made his international debut for Australia in a FIBA World Cup qualifier against Japan. Maker was involved in the Philippines–Australia basketball brawl during the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualification. As a result, he was suspended for three games.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align;left;",

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

, 57 , , 34 , , 9.9 , , .459 , , .378 , , .653 , , 2.0 , , .4 , , .2 , , .5 , , 4.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align;left;",

, 74 , , 12 , , 16.7 , , .411 , , .298 , , .699 , , 3.0 , , .6 , , .5 , , .7 , , 4.8 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", , style="text-align:left;",

, 35 , , 0 , , 11.7 , , .440 , , .333 , , .541 , , 2.7 , , .5 , , .3 , , .5 , , 4.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

, 29 , , 5 , , 19.4 , , .373 , , .307 , , .766 , , 3.7 , , .9 , , .4 , , 1.1 , , 5.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 60 , , 14 , , 12.9 , , .482 , , .344 , , .664 , , 2.8 , , .7 , , .4 , , .7 , , 4.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

, 8 , , 0 , , 9.5 , , .556 , , .000 , , .909 , , 2.3 , , .5 , , .3 , , .5 , , 3.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 263 , , 65 , , 13.8 , , .435 , , .327 , , .680 , , 2.8 , , .6 , , .4 , , .7 , , 4.6

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , 6 , , 19.3 , , .387 , , .200 , , .818 , , 3.2 , , 2.0 , , .8 , , 1.8 , , 5.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , 2 , , 21.7 , , .393 , , .300 , , .714 , , 3.8 , , .8 , , .3 , , 1.8 , , 5.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 2 , , 17.3 , , .269 , , .000 , , .889 , , 2.3 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 5.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 16 , , 10 , , 19.7 , , .353 , , .190 , , .815 , , 3.2 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , 1.6 , , 5.6

Personal life

Maker is an Australian and South Sudanese citizen. Maker's parents, who descend from the

Dinka people The Dinka people ( din, Jiɛ̈ɛ̈ŋ) are a Nilotes, Nilotic ethnic group native to South Sudan with a sizable diaspora population abroad. The Dinka mostly live along the Nile, from Jonglei to Renk, South Sudan, Renk, in the region of Bahr el Gh ...

, still live in South Sudan and are also both very tall; his father stands and his mother stands . His brother, Matur, attempted to enter the

2018 NBA draft The 2018 NBA Draft was held on June 21, 2018, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, including inte ...

in a manner similar to Thon before deciding to play internationally instead. Another brother, Maker Maker, plays soccer for South Melbourne FC's under-20 team. He has another cousin, Makur, who currently plays basketball for

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...

. Another cousin,

Aliir Aliir Aliir Mayom Aliir (born 5 September 1994) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He formerly played for the Sydney Swans. Early life and career Born ...

, plays in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling ...

for

Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide city centre, Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is t ...

. In March 2018, Maker confirmed he supported the Sydney Swans due to Aliir playing for them at the time, despite previously supporting the two West Australian teams. There are conspiracy theories that Maker is actually four years older than what is on his official passport, that Maker had actually graduated from Aranmore Catholic College, a high school in

, Australia, back in 2010 before enrolling again in high school in Canada, and that Edward Smith had a hand in forging Maker's official paperwork.Did Reddit Prove NBA Rookie Thon Maker Isn’t Really 19? https://www.complex.com/sports/2016/06/reddit-prove-thon-maker-older-19#:~:text=Several%20teams%20have%20entirely%20ruled,21%2D23%2C%20not%2019.&text=The%20speculation%20surrounding%20his%20age,the%20legitimacy%20of%20his%20age.

References

External links

Thon Maker
at maxpreps.com
After long road, Maker adds intrigue to NBA DraftThon Maker Exclusive Post NBA Draft Decision Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maker, Thon 1997 births Living people Australian expatriate basketball people in Canada Australian expatriate basketball people in the United States South Sudanese emigrants to Australia Sportspeople of South Sudanese descent Australian men's basketball players Basketball players from Perth, Western Australia Basketball players from Sydney Centers (basketball) Cleveland Cavaliers players Detroit Pistons players Dinka people Hapoel Jerusalem B.C. players Long Island Nets players Milwaukee Bucks draft picks Milwaukee Bucks players National Basketball Association high school draftees Power forwards (basketball) Sportsmen from New South Wales South Sudanese men's basketball players South Sudanese refugees Refugees in Uganda Australian expatriate basketball people in Israel Australian expatriate basketball people in China Sportsmen from Western Australia