Thon Marial Maker was born on 25 February 1997 and is a South Sudanese-Australian professional basketball player for the Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association.
20 Facts About Thon Maker
2.
Thon Maker attended high school at Orangeville District Secondary School and played basketball for Canada's Athlete Institute.
3.
Thon Maker was picked 10th overall in the 2016 NBA draft, and played for three different NBA teams between 2016 and 2021.
4.
When he was 14, Thon Maker was discovered playing soccer in the Perth suburb of Mirrabooka, by Edward Smith, an Australian of African-American heritage who helped children from migrant backgrounds receive opportunities they otherwise wouldn't get.
5.
Once in the United States, Thon Maker attended two schools in Louisiana, including Metairie Park Country Day School, before finally settling down at Carlisle School in Martinsville, Virginia.
6.
On 30 December 2014, Thon 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.
7.
Thon Maker later participated in the 2015 Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Oregon.
8.
Thon 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".
9.
Thon Maker was being recruited by Arizona State, Florida State, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Notre Dame, St John's and UNLV.
10.
On 21 June 2015, Thon Maker was named MVP at the National Basketball Player's Association Top 100 camp.
11.
On 3 April 2016, Thon Maker declared his intentions to enter the 2016 NBA draft, a decision that required a ruling from the NBA to determine his eligibility.
12.
Thon Maker 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.
13.
On 22 November 2017, Thon Maker scored a season-high 16 points against the Phoenix Suns.
14.
On 7 February 2019, Thon Maker was acquired by the Detroit Pistons in a three-team trade involving the Bucks and New Orleans Pelicans.
15.
On 30 November 2020, Thon Maker signed a training camp contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
16.
On 25 August 2021, Thon Maker signed a deal with Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Basketball Premier League.
17.
On 21 January 2022, Thon Maker was acquired via available player pool by the Long Island Nets.
18.
On 28 July 2022, Thon Maker signed with the Fujian Sturgeons.
19.
Thon Maker has a cousin, Makur, who currently plays basketball for Capital City Go-Go, after having previously played for Howard University.
20.
In March 2018, Thon Maker confirmed he supported the Sydney Swans due to Aliir playing for them at the time, despite previously supporting the two West Australian teams.