Marial Shayok facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Marial Shayok

Shayok in 2021
Free agent
Small forward / Shooting guard
Personal information
Born	(1995-07-26) July 26, 1995 (age 30) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Nationality	South Sudanese / Canadian
High school	St. Patrick's (Ottawa, Ontario) Blair Academy (Blairstown, New Jersey)
Listed height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight	205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
College	Virginia (2014–2017) Iowa State (2018–2019)
NBA Draft	2019 / Round: 2 / Pick: 54th overall
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Pro career	2019–present
Career history
2019–2020	Philadelphia 76ers
2019–2020	→ Delaware Blue Coats
2021	Bursaspor
2021–2022	Fenerbahçe
2022–2023	Maine Celtics
2023–2024	Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin
2024	Liaoning Flying Leopards
2024–2025	Maccabi Tel Aviv
Career highlights and awards
All-NBA G League Third Team (2020) NBA G League All-Rookie Team (2020) AP Honorable Mention All-American (2019) First-team All-Big 12 (2019) Big 12 tournament MVP (2019)

Marial Makur Shayok, born on July 26, 1995, is a professional basketball player from South Sudan and Canada. He is known for playing as a Small forward and Shooting guard. Marial played college basketball for the Virginia Cavaliers and Iowa State Cyclones. He was chosen by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2019 NBA Draft. Shayok has also played for the South Sudan national team in the 2023 FIBA World Cup and the 2024 Olympics.

Early Life and Family

Marial Shayok was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. His father, Makur, and mother, Helena, are from Sudan. Makur also played basketball in college at the University of Dayton.

Marial has four brothers and sisters. Two of his siblings also played college basketball. His sister, Yar, played for the University of Detroit Mercy and later became a professional player in France. His older brother, Shayok, played at Bradley University.

Marial started playing basketball when he was seven years old. He played on playgrounds and at the YMCA. Some of his favorite basketball players growing up were Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Durant.

High School Basketball

Shayok first played basketball for three seasons at St. Patrick’s High School in Ottawa, Canada.

After that, he went to Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey, for two seasons. His coach there was Joe Mantegna. In his junior year (2012-13), he averaged 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. He was named to the New Jersey Prep All-State team.

In his senior year (2013-14), he averaged 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists per game. He was named the New Jersey Prep Player of the Year. After high school, Shayok planned to play for Marquette, but he did not end up playing for their team.

College Basketball Journey

Playing for Virginia

Marial Shayok started his college career at Virginia. As a freshman, he averaged 3.8 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. In his second season, he improved to 4.3 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. He was also good at shooting, making 49.2% of his shots overall and 43.6% from three-point range.

In his junior year, Shayok averaged 8.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. He scored 23 points in Virginia's win against the UNC Wilmington Seahawks in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. After this season, Shayok decided to transfer to another college. He joined Iowa State on April 19, 2017.

Success at Iowa State

Shayok at his 2019 Iowa State graduation

At Iowa State, Shayok had a great season. On January 5, 2019, he scored 24 points in a 77–60 win against Kansas. Two days later, he was named the Big 12 Player of the Week.

In the Big 12 Conference tournament semifinals, Shayok made two important three-pointers in the last two minutes. These shots helped Iowa State beat Kansas State 63–59. He finished that game with 21 points. On March 16, in the Big 12 tournament finals, Shayok scored 15 points in a 78–66 win over Kansas. He was named the Big 12 tournament MVP. He was also named to the First-team All-Big 12.

For the season, he averaged 18.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. He was one of the best shooters in the country. He was named an Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention.

Professional Basketball Career

Philadelphia 76ers and G League (2019–2020)

The Philadelphia 76ers picked Marial Shayok as the 54th player in the 2019 NBA draft. On July 7, 2019, he signed a special contract. This meant he would play for both the 76ers and their G League team, the Delaware Blue Coats.

Shayok played very well for the Blue Coats. On November 18, he was named G League Player of the Week. He averaged 35.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in three games. He even scored 42 points in one game against the Greensboro Swarm. On December 6, he scored 31 points in a close 110–109 win.

On February 6, 2020, Shayok played his first NBA game for the 76ers. He made a three-pointer in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks. During the 2019-20 G League season, he averaged 22.4 points, 6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. He was named to the All-G League team and the G-League All-Rookie Team.

Playing in Turkey (2021-2022)

In January 2021, Shayok signed with Frutti Extra Bursaspor in Turkey. He played 12 games there, averaging 18.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. He also shot 88.1% from the free throw line.

Shayok in 2021

After playing well, Shayok signed a two-year deal with another Turkish team, Fenerbahçe, in June 2021. In the 2021-22 season, he averaged 5.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.

Return to the G League (2022–23)

In October 2022, Shayok joined the Maine Celtics in the G League. He played 21 games for them. He averaged 19.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. He was an excellent shooter, making 57.5% of his shots overall, 50.0% from three-point range, and 92.2% from the free throw line.

Playing in China (2023-2024)

On October 23, 2023, Shayok signed with Shandong in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He averaged 19.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. He also shot 41.1% from three-point range.

In September 2024, Shayok joined the Liaoning Flying Leopards, another team in the CBA. In 47 games, he averaged 13.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists.

Maccabi Tel Aviv (2024–2025)

On November 14, 2024, Marial Shayok signed a two-year deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel. He joined his South Sudan national team teammate, Wenyen Gabriel, on the team.

International Basketball

Marial Shayok plays for the South Sudan national team. He played in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, where he averaged 13.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. South Sudan finished the World Cup with a 3–2 record, which helped them qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

At the 2024 Olympics, he averaged 14.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. South Sudan won against Puerto Rico but lost to Serbia and the United States. In a game before the Olympics, Shayok scored 25 points against Team USA. South Sudan lost that game by only one point, 100–101, to a strong USA team with stars like LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

Career Statistics

NBA

Regular Season

College

See also

In Spanish: Marial Shayok para niños