Maalik Wayns
Maalik Wayns | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 2, 1991 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Basketball player, basketball coach |
| Years active | 2009–2025 (player), 2021–present (coach) |
| Known for | Professional basketball career; coaching at Camden High School and Skyline Prep High School |
Maalik Benjamin Wayns (born May 2, 1991) is a former professional basketball player and current coach holding American and Belarusian nationality. During his high school years at Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia, he earned accolades including Parade All-American and McDonald's All-American distinctions. Wayns played collegiate basketball at Villanova University under the guidance of coach Jay Wright. Presently, he holds the position of Program Director and head coach for the boys' basketball team at Skyline Prep High School in Phoenix, Arizona. Prior to this role, he served as head coach at Camden High School between 2022 and 2025.
Early life
Born on May 2, 1991, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Wayns is the son of Verland and Deborah Wayns. He has one brother named V. J. Wayns.
High school career
While attending Roman Catholic High School, Wayns posted averages of 22.4 points, 5.1 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game during his junior year, earning two MVP titles in the Philadelphia Catholic League alongside first-team all-city and all-state selections. In his senior season, he averaged 19.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.5 assists, receiving third-team Parade All-American recognition as well as being named a McDonald's All-American.
Freshman
Wayns enrolled at Villanova University, playing under coach Jay Wright. On November 16, 2009, he scored 16 points in just 18 minutes against the University of Pennsylvania. He was honored with a spot on the Big East All-Rookie Team and earned Big East Rookie of the Week honors three times, finishing the season with averages of 6.8 points and 1.3 assists per game.
Sophomore
During his sophomore year, Wayns delivered significant performances including a 15-point, 6-assist game versus Bucknell University and a career-best 19 points along with six rebounds against UCLA. He also achieved his first double-double by recording 12 points and 12 assists in a matchup against Boston University.
Junior
In the 2011–12 season, Wayns was named to the second-team All-Big East after averaging 17.6 points per game.
2012–13 season
After going undrafted in the 2012 NBA draft, Wayns participated in Summer League games with the Orlando Magic and Golden State Warriors. He signed with the Philadelphia 76ers on July 31, 2012 but was waived on January 6, 2013. He rejoined the team on a 10-day contract two days later but was not retained after it expired. Subsequently, on January 21, he joined the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League.
On March 9, Wayns secured a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Clippers, followed by a second such contract on March 19. He then signed for the remainder of that season with the Clippers on March 29.
2013–14 season
In July 2013, Wayns returned to play for the Clippers during the 2013 NBA Summer League and earned a place on their regular-season roster via a non-guaranteed contract for the 2013–14 campaign. He was waived on January 5, 2014 but re-signed to a 10-day deal three days afterward before being waived again on January 16. On February 17, he went back to play for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
2014–15 season
Following participation in the 2014 NBA Summer League with the Washington Wizards, Wayns signed a one-year contract with Lithuanian Basketball League club Žalgiris Kaunas on July 30, 2014. However, due to injury issues, he parted ways with Žalgiris on October 13 without appearing in any games.
On January 12, 2015, his returning player rights were traded from Rio Grande Valley to the Delaware 87ers in exchange for Hamady N'Diaye's rights. He officially joined Delaware on February 3. After concluding the D-League season, Wayns signed with Puerto Rico’s Atenienses de Manatí to complete the remainder of the 2015 BSN season.
2015–16 season
On August 14, 2015, Wayns inked a deal with Pallacanestro Varese, competing in Italy's top-tier Serie A for the 2015–16 campaign.
2016–17 season
Wayns agreed to terms with Russian outfit Enisey Krasnoyarsk on August 1, 2016, to play the 2016–17 season. Later that year, on November 24, he transferred to the Israeli club Maccabi Rishon LeZion.
2017–18 season
On August 28, 2017, Wayns signed with the Dallas Mavericks but was released on October 14. Following this, he joined Spanish side Joventut Badalona to complete the remainder of the 2017–18 ACB season.
2019–20 season
Wayns signed with Tsmoki-Minsk of the VTB United League on August 27, 2019. By February 2, 2020, he had moved to Iranian team Mahram Tehran BC, competing in the Iranian Basketball Super League.
National team career
In 2016, Wayns acquired Belarusian citizenship through naturalization.
The Basketball Tournament (TBT)
During the summer of 2017, Wayns competed for Team FOE, a Philadelphia-based squad coached by NBA players Markieff and Marcus Morris, in The Basketball Tournament broadcast on ESPN. He averaged 10.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists across two games as Team FOE advanced to the Super 16 Round held in Brooklyn, New York, where they were defeated by Boeheim's Army. The previous year, in 2016, he also represented FOE, posting averages of 18.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists over three contests.
Coaching career
Starting with the 2021–22 season, Wayns became part of Villanova Men's Basketball’s Student Athlete Development team, concentrating on fostering players' growth beyond the court.
On November 17, 2022, Wayns was named head coach of Camden High School's boys basketball program, taking over from Rick Brunson who transitioned to a coaching role with the New York Knicks.
Wayns announced his departure from Camden High School on May 13, 2025, to pursue a new venture. Shortly after, on May 22, 2025, he was appointed as Program Director and Head Coach for the national basketball team at Skyline Prep High School in Arizona.
NBA
Source
Regular season
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 21 || 1 || 7.9 || .264 || .200 || .867 || .2 || 1.0 || .1 || .0 || 2.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Clippers | 6 || 0 || 6.2 || .438 || .333 || 1.000 || .3 || 1.2 || .5 || .0 || 3.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Clippers | 2 || 0 || 4.5 || .500 || – || – || 1.0 || 1.0 || 1.0 || .0 || 1.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 29 || 1 || 7.3 || .300 || .226 || .895 || .3 || 1.0 || .3 || .0 || 2.7