Shake Milton

Shake Milton
Born	Malik Benjamin Milton (1996-09-26) September 26, 1996 Owasso, Oklahoma, U.S.
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	2018–present
Known for	Playing for Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers, Partizan Mozzart Bet

Malik Benjamin "Shake" Milton (born September 26, 1996) is a professional American basketball athlete currently playing for Partizan Mozzart Bet in the Serbian League (KLS), ABA League, and EuroLeague. He competed at the collegiate level for Southern Methodist University (SMU) from 2015 through 2018. Milton was chosen as the 54th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks before being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers on draft night. His NBA tenure includes time with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, and Los Angeles Lakers.

High school career

Under the guidance of Coach Mark Vancuren at Owasso High School in Owasso, Oklahoma, Milton earned consecutive Gatorade Player of the Year distinctions for Oklahoma during the 2013–14 and 2014–15 seasons. In his senior year, he posted averages of 29.7 points and 4.4 assists per game, securing accolades such as Tulsa World Player of the Year, Oklahoma Super 5 Player of the Year, and recognition from the Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State team. He ultimately committed to SMU, choosing them over offers from both the University of Oklahoma and Indiana University.

College career

During his freshman season at SMU, Milton appeared in 30 games with 23 starts, averaging 10.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per contest, which earned him a spot on the AAC All-Rookie Team. In the summer of 2016, he participated with the US Select Team on their Goodwill Tour in Croatia. The following season (2016–17), Milton started every one of SMU’s 35 games, recording averages of 13.0 points, 4.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game, culminating in an All-American Athletic Conference Second Team selection. In the 2017–18 campaign, he played in 22 games before a broken right hand prematurely ended his season; during that time, he averaged 18.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.4 steals and was again named to the All-AAC Second Team.

Philadelphia 76ers (2018–2023)

Milton was drafted 54th overall in round two of the 2018 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks but was immediately traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for rights to Ray Spalding and Kostas Antetokounmpo. On July 26, he inked a two-way contract allowing him to split his time between Philadelphia and their G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. Milton made his NBA debut on November 30, 2018, contributing five points and two assists. During his rookie year, he averaged 4.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.9 assists across 20 games for Philadelphia while posting impressive G League statistics with averages of 24.9 points (ranking fourth), alongside 5.2 assists and 4.8 rebounds over 27 contests.

Ahead of the 2019–20 season, Milton secured a four-year contract extension with the Sixers but encountered injury setbacks early on that delayed his return until January 2020. Upon returning, he earned his first NBA start delivering seven points, three assists, and nine rebounds against the Los Angeles Lakers. Later that month, Milton achieved personal bests with six assists and a career-high 27 points during a start versus the Atlanta Hawks. On March 1, he surpassed previous marks by scoring a career-high of 39 points against the Los Angeles Clippers while matching an NBA record by sinking thirteen consecutive three-pointers over three games. That season saw him start in 24 contests and achieve career-best numbers across several statistical categories.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2023–2024)

Milton joined the Minnesota Timberwolves on July 9, 2023. On December 8, 2023, he delivered a notable performance off the bench, tallying 17 points, 1 assist, and 2 rebounds in a decisive 127–103 victory against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Detroit Pistons (2024)

On February 7, 2024, Milton was included in a trade to the Detroit Pistons, along with Troy Brown Jr. and a second-round draft pick for 2030, in exchange for Monté Morris. A week later, on February 14, he contributed 13 points, 2 assists, and 9 rebounds off the bench during a 116–100 defeat to the Phoenix Suns. Milton reached a contract buyout agreement with Detroit on March 1, 2024.

New York Knicks (2024)

Milton secured a contract with the New York Knicks on March 5, 2024.

Brooklyn Nets (2024)

On July 6, 2024, Milton was signed and immediately traded to the Brooklyn Nets as part of a multi-player deal that included Bojan Bogdanović, Mamadi Diakite, several first-round picks, and pick swaps in return for Mikal Bridges, Keita Bates-Diop, and a second-round draft selection. On November 29, Milton scored 22 points along with two rebounds and four assists off the bench in a 123–100 loss to the Orlando Magic. On December 26, he exploded for 20 points—including an impressive 14 points scored within five minutes—plus two rebounds and one steal in a 111–105 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. The next day marked his sole start for Brooklyn, where he recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 assists in a 96–87 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, which was also his final appearance for the Nets.

Los Angeles Lakers (2024–2025)

Milton was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers alongside Dorian Finney-Smith on December 29, 2024. In return, the Lakers sent Maxwell Lewis, D'Angelo Russell, and three future second-round picks. On January 30, 2025, Milton posted a season-best performance of 21 points on efficient shooting (7/8 FG, 6/6 FT), adding four assists and four rebounds off the bench during a commanding 134–96 victory over the Washington Wizards. He was released by the Lakers on July 20, 2025.

Partizan Belgrade (2025–present)

On July 24, 2025, Milton inked a two-year deal with Partizan Mozzart Bet, competing across the Basketball League of Serbia (KLS), ABA League, and EuroLeague.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 20 || 0 || 13.4 || .391 || .318 || .714 || 1.8 || .9 || .4 || .4 || 4.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 40 || 24 || 20.1 || .484 || .430 || .785 || 2.2 || 2.6 || .5 || .2 || 9.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 63 || 4 || 23.2 || .450 || .350 || .830 || 2.3 || 3.1 || .6 || .3 || 13.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 55 || 6 || 21.4 || .429 || .323 || .836 || 2.6 || 2.5 || .5 || .3 || 8.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 76 || 11 || 20.6 || .479 || .378 || .853 || 2.5 || 3.2 || .3 || .2 || 8.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"rowspan=3| | style="text-align:left;"|Minnesota |38||0||12.9||.400||.264||.818||1.3||1.3||.4||.1||4.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Detroit |4||0||15.8||.423||.333||.667||4.5||1.5||.5||.3||6.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"|New York |6||0||4.6||.444||0.500|||1.000|||1.0|||0.7|||0.2|||0|||1.8 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2| | style="text-align:left;"|Brooklyn |27||1||18.2||.465||.389||.758||1.9||2.4||.6||0||7.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"|L.A. Lakers |30||1||11.5||.433||.294||.846||1.8||1.3||0.3||0.1||3.9 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career |359||47||18.7||.451||.358||.824||2.2||2.4||0.5||0.2||8.1

Playoff Performance

|- | style="text-align:left;"|2020 | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 4 || 4 || 31.5 || .477 || .400 || .857 || 3.3 || 2.8 || .5 || .0 || 14.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2021 | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 12 || 0 || 10.1 || .319 || .421 || .933 || .8 || .8 || .3 || .1 || 4.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2022 | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 12 || 0 || 13.2 || .474 || .533 || .800 || 1.6 || .9 || .5 || .3 || 5.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2023 | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 6 || 0 || 3.5 || .600 || .000 || 1.000 || .5 || .3 || .3 || .0 || 1.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2024 | style="text-align:left;"|New York | 4 || 0 || 5.5 || .000 || .000 || .833 || .3 || .5 || .3 || .0 || 1.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2025 | style="text-align:left;"|L.A. Lakers | 4 || 0 || 2.0 || .000 || — || — || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Overall Playoff Stats | 40 || 4 || 11.3 || .404 || .419 || .860 || 1.1 || .9 || .4|| .1|| 4.6

University Career

|- | style="text-align:left;"|2015–16 | style="text-align:left;"|SMU | 30||23||32.7||.477||.426||.725||3.0||2.7||.8||.3||10.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2016–17 | style="text-align:left;"|SMU | 35||35||35.4||.437||.423||.758||4.1||4.5||1.3||.3||13.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2017–18 | style="text-align:left;"|SMU |22||22||36.4||.449||.434||.847||4.7||4.4||1.4||.6||18.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|College Career Totals |87||80||34.7||.452||.427||.791||3.9||3.9||1.1||.4||13.4

Personal Background

Milton is the son of Myrion Milton, who played collegiate basketball for the Oklahoma Wesleyan Eagles and Texas A&M Aggies teams. His moniker, "Shake," is derived from his father's nickname "Milk." Additionally, he is sometimes called "Sniper Shake." Early in his life, Milton endured the loss of his father during his initial year at Owasso High School.

External links

• SMU Mustangs profile