Thon maker family

Thon Maker Is the Bucks' Secret Unicorn

Too good to be true? Spend some time with the Bucks' rangy, risky project—he backs down KG but shoots like Steph, keeps the diet of an offensive lineman but lifts like a boss, all while determined to be MVP—and you'll become a believer, too.

By Howard Beck

Photography by Sara Stathas

February 8, 2017

Thon Maker ambles over, head bobbing over narrow shoulders, with a smile as easy as his stride, and the first thing you notice is the distance between you and that grin.

The Milwaukee Bucks rookie seems impossibly tall, even in a sport defined by height. Taller than his official listing of 7'1".

You notice his arms. They seem impossibly long, as if he could wrangle an actual buck.

You remember the video. The one from 2015, in Las Vegas. The one in which Maker unleashes a series of moves that send his defender stumbling like a drunken tourist, then casually sticks a deep step-back jumper. The one that closes with giddy fans slapping their cheeks and falling over each other, mouths agape.

In that moment, the obscure internatio

Thon Maker

South Sudanese-Australian basketball player (born 1997)

Thon Marial Maker (born 25 February 1997) is a South Sudanese-Australian[2] professional basketball player for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League. He attended high school at Orangeville District Secondary School and played basketball for Canada's Athlete Institute. He was picked 10th overall in the 2016 NBA draft, and played for three different NBA teams between 2016 and 2021.

Early life

Maker was born in Wau,[3] a city located in what is now South Sudan. His uncle, a local administrator, arranged for Maker, his younger brother, Matur, and his aunt to escape the civil war to Uganda. From there, they were accepted as refugees by Australia; they then moved to Perth, Western Australia when Maker was five years of age[4] and the family eventually settled down.[5]

When he was 14, 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 backgrou

Thon Maker facts for kids

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Maker with the Detroit Pistons in 2019

No. 2 – Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Center / power forward
Personal information
Born(1997-02-25) 25 February 1997 (age 27)
Wau, Sudan (now South Sudan)
NationalitySouth Sudanese / Australian
High school
Listed height7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight221 lb (100 kg)
Career information
NBA Draft2016 / Round: 1 / Pick: 10th overall
Selected by the Milwaukee Bucks
Pro career2016–present
LeagueNBA G League
Career history
2016–2019Milwaukee Bucks
2019–2020Detroit Pistons
2020–2021Cleveland Cavaliers
2021Hapoel Jerusalem
2022Long Island Nets
2022–2024Fujian Sturgeons
2024Al Riyadi Beirut
2024–presentRio Grande Valley Vipers
Career highlights and awards
  • BCL Asia champion (2024)
  • BCL Asia Tournament Top Five (2024)
  • WASL champion (2024)
  • WASL Most Valuable Player (2024)
  • Gatorade Virginia Player of the Year (2014)
Men's basketball
Representing Australia
FIBA Asia Cup
Gold2022-2023 Jakarta