Marial Shayok

Marial Shayok
Marial Shayok
Born	July 26, 1995 (age 31); Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	2014–present
Known for	Playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv, Philadelphia 76ers, South Sudan national team

Marial Makur Shayok ( ; born July 26, 1995) is a professional basketball athlete of South Sudanese-Canadian descent who most recently competed for Maccabi Tel Aviv in both the Israeli Basketball Premier League and the EuroLeague. During his collegiate career, he represented the Virginia Cavaliers and later the Iowa State Cyclones. Selected as the 54th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, Shayok experienced a brief tenure in the NBA. Internationally, he has played for the South Sudan national team at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and is set to participate in the men's basketball tournament at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Early life

Shayok was born in Ottawa, Ontario, to a Sudanese father named Makur, who played college basketball at the University of Dayton from 1990 to 1992. Basketball runs deeply in his family: his sister Yar competed at University of Detroit Mercy before embarking on a professional career in France, while his brother Shayok played at both IMG Academy and Bradley University.

He started playing basketball at age seven, honing his abilities on local playgrounds and YMCA courts. His game has been influenced by legends such as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Penny Hardaway, and Dwyane Wade.

High school career

Shayok spent three seasons competing for St. Patrick’s High School in Ottawa, Canada. He then transferred to Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey, where he played two seasons under coach Joe Mantegna. During his junior year (2012–13), he averaged 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists per contest, earning recognition on the New Jersey Prep All-State and All-Mid Atlantic Prep League First Teams. In his senior year (2013–14), he maintained averages of 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists per game, securing titles such as New Jersey Prep Player of the Year and First Team All-Prep honors from The Star-Ledger, while repeating as an All-State and All-Mid Atlantic Prep League First-Team selection.

Although Shayok initially committed to play for the Marquette program out of high school, he ultimately did not appear in any games for their team.

Virginia

In his freshman season with the Virginia Cavaliers, Shayok posted averages of 3.8 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. His sophomore year saw an increase to 4.3 points and 1.9 rebounds per game, with shooting percentages of 49.2% from the field and 43.6% beyond the arc. As a junior, he improved further to average 8.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game, shooting 44% overall and converting 33% of three-point attempts. Notably, he scored 23 points during Virginia’s NCAA Tournament first-round victory over UNC Wilmington. Following that season, on April 19, 2017, Shayok transferred to Iowa State.

Iowa State

While at Iowa State, Shayok contributed 24 points in a 77–60 victory over Kansas on January 5, 2019. Two days later, on January 7, he was honored as the Big 12 Player of the Week. During the Big 12 Conference tournament semifinals, Shayok made two pivotal three-point shots in the closing moments to lead fifth-seeded Iowa State past the top-seeded Kansas State with a 63–59 win, finishing as the game's top scorer with 21 points. In the championship game on March 16, he added 15 points to secure a 78–66 triumph over Kansas and was recognized as the Big 12 tournament MVP, complementing his First-team All-Big 12 distinction.

At the 2019 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, Shayok delivered an impressive performance on day two by scoring 37 points, including a three-pointer that tied the game and the decisive shot in overtime. He shot an outstanding 7-of-9 from beyond the arc and grabbed seven rebounds, earning a place on the PIT All-Tournament Team.

Throughout the season, Shayok posted averages of 18.7 points per game (second in the conference), along with 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 made three-pointers per contest. His shooting percentages stood at 49.6% from the field (second in the conference), 38.6% from three-point range (eighth), and an impressive 87.8% from the free throw line (second in the conference; eighteenth nationally). Notably, he was the only American player averaging at least 18.5 points while shooting above 49% FG, over 38% from three-point territory, and exceeding 87% FT accuracy. Shayok earned an Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention, was a finalist for the Julius Erving Award (awarded to Small Forward of the Year), and secured a spot on the All-Big 12 First Team.

Philadelphia 76ers (2019–2020)

Selected with the 54th pick in the 2019 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, Shayok signed a two-way contract on July 7, 2019, allowing him to split his time between Philadelphia and their G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. He earned G League Player of the Week honors on November 18 after averaging 35.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists across three games, highlighted by a standout 42-point effort against the Greensboro Swarm. On December 6, Shayok scored 31 points to help secure a narrow 110–109 win over the Capital City Go-Go, followed by a performance of 29 points and six assists on January 20, 2020, in a victory against the South Bay Lakers.

Shayok made his NBA debut on February 6, where he successfully converted a three-pointer during a 112–101 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. In the abbreviated G League season of 2019-20, he averaged notable stats including 22.4 points per game (ranking sixth in scoring), six rebounds, and 3.8 assists while shooting efficiently at 46% from the field, 36% from beyond the arc, and an excellent free throw percentage of 88.9% (ninth in the league). His efforts earned him selections to both the All-G League team and G League All-Rookie Team for that season. Following this period, he was waived by the Sixers during offseason roster adjustments.

Frutti Extra Bursaspor (2021)

On January 5, 2021, Shayok joined Frutti Extra Bursaspor competing in Turkey's top-tier league, the Turkish Super League (BSL). Over twelve games with Bursaspor, he averaged an impressive 18.9 points per contest (second highest in the league), alongside contributions of 6.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game while maintaining an outstanding free throw accuracy of 88.1%.

Fenerbahçe (2021–22)

After concluding his stint with Bursaspor strongly, Shayok secured a two-year contract (with an option for one year) with Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahçe on June 21, 2021. During the course of the 2021-22 campaign, he appeared in twenty-five games and posted averages of 5.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per contest.

Maine Celtics (2022–23)

Shayok was added to the Maine Celtics training camp roster on October 24, 2022. Throughout 21 contests in the G League, he posted averages of 19.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. His shooting percentages were notable, converting 57.5% from the field, ranking third in the league with a 50.0% success rate from beyond the arc, and securing second place with a 92.2% free throw percentage.

Shandong (2023–24)

On October 23, 2023, Shayok inked a deal with Shandong competing in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). During his tenure, 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 maintaining an 81.2% free throw accuracy.

Liaoning Flying Leopards (2024)

Shayok joined the Liaoning Flying Leopards of the CBA on September 20, 2024. Across 47 appearances, he averaged 13.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and one steal per game, shooting with a 41.0% efficiency from three-point territory and hitting free throws at an 87.5% clip.

Maccabi Tel Aviv (2024–25)

On November 14, 2024, Shayok signed a two-year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv, part of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He joined forces with fellow South Sudanese international and Maccabi center Wenyen Gabriel, a teammate from their participation at the 2024 Olympic Games.

International career

Representing South Sudan at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Shayok averaged 13.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per contest. The team concluded the tournament with a 3–2 record and secured qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

During the Olympic Games, he posted averages of 14.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. South Sudan achieved a victory over Puerto Rico but was defeated by Serbia and the United States. In a pre-Olympic exhibition matchup against Team USA—which featured four former NBA MVPs: LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant—Shayok scored 25 points as South Sudan narrowly lost by one point, with a final score of 100–101.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 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;"| Virginia | 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;"| Virginia | 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;"| Virginia | 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;"| Iowa State | 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

External links