Marial Makur Shayok ( ; born July 26, 1995) is a South Sudanese-Canadian 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 (appro ...

player for

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv () is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such as football, basketball, j ...

of the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

and the

EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

Virginia Cavaliers The Virginia Cavaliers, also known as Wahoos or Hoos, are the athletic teams representing the University of Virginia, located in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers compete at the NCAA Division I level ( FBS for football), in the Atlantic Coast C ...

and

Iowa State Cyclones The Iowa State Cyclones are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Iowa State University, located in Ames. The university is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 16 varsity teams (6 men's and 1 ...

. He was selected 54th overall by the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

in the

2019 NBA Draft The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible p ...

, and played briefly for the Sixers. Shayok represented the South Sudan national team in the

2023 FIBA World Cup The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 19th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams, held from 25 August to 10 September 2023. The tournament was the second to feature 32 teams and was hosted by multipl ...

and the

2024 Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

Early life

Shayok was born in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, Ontario, to Sudanese father Makur and mother Helena. Makur played basketball at the

University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) is a Private university, private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary (Marianists), Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the U ...

(1990-92)). Marial has four siblings, including two who played college basketball in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

. His sister, Yar, played for the

University of Detroit Mercy The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Cath ...

, then signed with a professional team in France, while his older brother Shayok played at the

IMG Academy IMG Academy is a University-preparatory school, preparatory boarding school and sports training destination in Bradenton, Florida, United States. The organization is set across over 600 acres (243 ha) and features programs consisting of sport ca ...

and later at

Bradley University Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,200 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in fiv ...

. Shayok started playing basketball at the age of seven, sometimes on the playgrounds, sometimes at the YMCA. Growing up, his favorite players were

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 20-year career with t ...

Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant (born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Durant has won two List of NBA champions, NBA champ ...

Penny Hardaway Anfernee Deon "Penny" Hardaway (born July 18, 1971) is an American college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Memphis Tigers men's team in the American Athletic Conference (AAC). Hardaway played colle ...

, and

Dwyane Wade Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. ( or , born January 17, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player who is currently the co-owner of the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association. He is also currently the host of the American a ...

High school career

Shayok first attended and played basketball for three seasons for St. Patrick’s High School in Ottawa, Canada."Marial Shayok,"
Virginia Sports. He then attended

Blair Academy Blair Academy is a coeducational, boarding and day school for students in high school. The school serves students from ninth through twelfth grades as well as a small post-graduate class. The school's campus is located on a campus in Blairst ...

Blairstown, New Jersey Blairstown is a Township (New Jersey), township in Warren County, New Jersey, Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 5,704, a decrease of 263 (−4.4%) from the 2010 Uni ...

, where Shayok played for two seasons while coached by Joe Mantegna. As a junior in 2012-13, he averaged 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists per game, He was named New Jersey Prep All-State and All-Mid Atlantic Prep League First-Team. As a senior in 2013-14, he averaged 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists per game, He was a First Team All-Prep selection by ''The Star-Ledger'', named the New Jersey Prep Player of the Year, and named New Jersey Prep All-State and All-Mid Atlantic Prep League First-Team . Coming out of high school, Shayok signed with Marquette, but he never played for the team.

College career

Virginia

As a freshman at

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, Shayok averaged 3.8 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. The following season, he averaged 4.3 points and 1.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 49.2% from the field and 43.6% from 3-point range. Shayok posted 8.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game for the Cavaliers as a junior, shooting 44 percent from the field and 33 percent from 3-point range. He scored 23 points in Virginia's victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against the

UNC Wilmington Seahawks The UNC Wilmington (UNCW) Seahawks are the varsity athletic teams representing the University of North Carolina Wilmington in Wilmington, North Carolina in intercollegiate athletics. The university sponsors eight teams for the men (baseball, bas ...

. Following the season, Shayok opted to transfer and signed with

Iowa State Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State be ...

on April 19, 2017.

Iowa State

Playing for Iowa State, Shayok scored 24 points in a 77–60 win over

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

on January 5, 2019. On January 7, Shayok was named

Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Okla ...

Player of the Week. In the semifinals of the Big 12 Conference tournament, the redshirt senior hit a pair of big 3-pointers in the final two minutes to help five-seed Iowa State defeat top seed Kansas State 63–59. Shayok finished with a game-high 21 points, helping the Cyclones battle back from a five-point deficit with 2 minutes, and 47 seconds remaining. None were bigger than the final two shots Shayok hit. On March 16, in the finals of the Big 12 Conference tournament, Shayok scored 15 points in a 78–66 win over

and was named the Big 12 tournament MVP to add to being named First-team All-

. On day two of the 2019

Portsmouth Invitational Tournament The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, (PIT), is the only postseason camp restricted to college basketball seniors. The Portsmouth Invitational is the first of two NBA pre-Draft (sports), draft camps, the other being the Orlando pre-Draft (sport ...

, Shayok scored 37 points, including a three-pointer to force overtime for his team, as well as the game-winning shot in OT. He was 7-of-9 from three-point range and also had 7 rebounds. He was later named as part of the PIT All-Tournament Team. For the season, he averaged 18.7 points (2nd in the conference), 4.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.1 three-pointers (6th) per game, shooting 49.6% (2nd) from the field, 38.6% from three-point range (8th), and 87.8% (2nd; 18th in the NCAA) from the free throw line. Shayok was the only player in the US who averaged 18.5 points while shooting at least 49% from the field, 38% on three-pointers, and 87% at the free throw line."Marial Shayok,"
Cyclones. He was named an

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

Honorable Mention, a

Julius Erving Award The Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate small forward. Following the success of the Bob Cousy Award which had been awarde ...

finalist (Small Forward of the Year), and an All-Big 12 First-Team selection.

Professional career

Philadelphia 76ers (2019–2020)

Shayok was selected with the 54th overall pick in the

2019 NBA draft The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible p ...

by the

. On July 7, 2019, the 76ers announced that they had signed Shayok to a

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless o ...

, meaning he would split time between the 76ers and their G League affiliate, the

Delaware Blue Coats The Delaware Blue Coats are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Wilmington, Delaware. They are the G-League affiliates of the Philadelphia 76ers. The Blue Coats play their home games at Chase Fieldhouse. The Bl ...

. Shayok was named G League player of the week on November 18 after averaging 35.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in three games for the Blue Coats, including 42 points against the

Greensboro Swarm The Greensboro Swarm are an American basketball team of the NBA G League based in Greensboro, North Carolina, and are affiliated with the Charlotte Hornets. The Swarm play their home games at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. The team became the ...

. On December 6, Shayok scored 31 points in a 110–109 win over the

Capital City Go-Go The Capital City Go-Go are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Washington, D.C., and are affiliated with the Washington Wizards. The Go-Go play their home games at the CareFirst Arena. The team is owned by Monum ...

on 13-of-23 shooting. He had 29 points and six assists on January 20, 2020, in a 119–109 win over the

South Bay Lakers The South Bay Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, that competes in the NBA G League. Founded in 2006 as the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the team is owned by the Los Angeles Lakers, who were the first ...

. On February 6, Shayok made his NBA debut for the 76ers, hitting a three-pointer in a 112–101 loss to 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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

. During the shortened 2019-20 G League season, in 35 games Shayok averaged 22.4 points (6th in the league), 6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game, shooting 46% from the field, 36% from three-point range, and 88.9% (9th) from the free throw line. He was named 2019-20 All-G League, and G-League All-Rookie Team. The 76ers waived him during the offseason.

Frutti Extra Bursaspor (2021)

On January 5, 2021, he signed with Frutti Extra Bursaspor of the

Turkish Super League Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The ...

(BSL). In 12 games with them, Shayok averaged 18.9 points (2nd in the league), 6.9 rebounds, and 4.2 assists, with an 88.1% free throw percentage.

Fenerbahçe (2021-22)

Following his very strong finish to the season, Shayok signed a two (1+1) year deal with fellow Turkish club Fenerbahçe on June 21, 2021. In 25 games in 2021-22 he averaged 5.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game."Marialo Shayok,"
RealGM.

Maine Celtics (2022–23)

On October 24, 2022, Shayok joined the

Maine Celtics The Maine Celtics are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Portland, Maine, and are affiliated with the Boston Celtics. The Maine Celtics play their home games at the Portland Expo Building. The Boston Celtics pu ...

training camp roster. He played 21 games for the team in the G League, and averaged 19.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 57.5% from the floor, 50.0% (3rd in the league) from three-point range, and 92.2% (2nd in the league) from the free throw line for the season of 2022–2023.

Shandong (2023-24)

On October 23, 2023, Shayok signed with

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

, of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier men's professional 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 averaged 19.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, while shooting 41.1% from three-point range, and 81.2% from the free throw line.

Liaoning Flying Leopards (2024)

On September 20, 2024, Shayok joined the

Liaoning Flying Leopards The Liaoning Flying Leopards (), also known as the Liaoning Shenyang Sansheng Flying Leopard Club or Liaoning Bengang (), are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Hunnan District, Shenyang, Liaoning, which plays in the Northern Divisi ...

of the

(CBA). In 47 games, he averaged 13.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.0 steals per game, while shooting 41.0% from three-point range, and 87.5% from the free throw line.

Maccabi Tel Aviv (2024–present)

On November 14, 2024, he signed a two-year deal with

of the

. Shayok joined Maccabi Tel Aviv center

Wenyen Gabriel Wenyen Gabriel (born March 26, 1997) is a South Sudanese-American professional basketball player who last played for Panathinaikos of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats, a ...

, alongside whom he had represented South Sudan at the 2024 Olympic Games.

International career

Shayok represented

South Sudan South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...

at the

, averaging 13.2 points 3.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. The South Sudan men's basketball team finished the FIBA World Cup with a 3–2 record, and qualified for the

2024 Paris Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

. At the Olympics, he averaged 14.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game, as South Sudan defeated Puerto Rico but lost to Serbia and the United States. In a pre-Olympics exhibition game, he scored 25 points against Team USA, as South Sudan lost to the eventual gold medal winner by just one point, 100–101, as Team USA was led by four former

NBA MVP The NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1955–56 season to the best performing player of the regular season. Since the 2022–23 season, winners receive the Michael Jor ...

winners,

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. ( ; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...

Joel Embiid Joel Hans Embiid ( ; born 16 March 1994) is a Cameroonian and American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After one year of college basketball with the Kansas Jayhawks men's ...

Stephen Curry Wardell Stephen Curry II ( ; born March 14, 1988) is an American professional basketball player and point guard for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Chef Curry", he is widely regarded as the ...

, and

."Maccabi adds South Sudan star Marial Shayok,"
''Eurohoops'', November 13, 2024,

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 4 , , 0 , , 7.0 , , .250 , , .333 , , .750 , , 1.8 , , .3 , , .3 , , .0 , , 2.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 4 , , 0 , , 7.0 , , .250 , , .333 , , .750 , , 1.8 , , .3 , , .3 , , .0 , , 2.8

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 1 , , 14.6 , , .405 , , .380 , , .630 , , 1.8 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , .3 , , 3.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

, 35 , , 8 , , 15.0 , , .492 , , .436 , , .548 , , 1.9 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .1 , , 4.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 14 , , 20.6 , , .445 , , .328 , , .796 , , 2.4 , , 1.0 , , .9 , , .3 , , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 34 , , 32.9 , , .496 , , .386 , , .878 , , 4.9 , , 2.0 , , .9 , , .2 , , 18.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 137 , , 57 , , 20.7 , , .470 , , .381 , , .787 , , 2.7 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , .2 , , 8.9

References

External links

Iowa State Cyclones bioNBA Draft Profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shayok, Marial 1995 births Living people 21st-century Canadian sportsmen 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup players Basketball players at the 2024 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Ottawa Black Canadian basketball players Black Canadian sportsmen Blair Academy alumni Bursaspor Basketbol players Canadian expatriate basketball people in China Canadian expatriate basketball people in Israel Canadian expatriate basketball people in Turkey Canadian expatriate basketball people in the United States Canadian men's basketball players Canadian people of South Sudanese descent Delaware Blue Coats players Fenerbahçe men's basketball players Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball players Liaoning Flying Leopards players Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. players Maine Celtics players NBA players from Canada Olympic basketball players for South Sudan Philadelphia 76ers draft picks Philadelphia 76ers players Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin players Shooting guards South Sudanese men's basketball players Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball players