South Sudanese Dominating NBA, Marial Makur Marial Shayok Called By 76ers In NBA Draft

Shayok was born in Ottawa, Ontario to South Sudanese father Makur Marial from Yirol and mother Hellena. Makur had some basketball talent himself — the native of Sudan played at the University of Dayton, before getting paid to play overseas. He has four siblings, including two who played college basketball in the NCAA. His sister Yar played for the University of Detroit Mercy, then signing with a pro team in France, while his older brother Shayok played at the IMG Academy and later at Bradley University.

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State guard Marial Makur Marial Shayok was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft Thursday evening in Brooklyn, New York.

Horton-Tucker was selected with the No. 54 pick to become the 40th former Cyclone to be drafted. Iowa State has had 13 players drafted since the Big 12 was formed in 1996-97, the third-best total in the league.
Shayok was outstanding in his only season on the court for Iowa State. After transferring from Virginia, Shayok took advantage of his sit-out season to improve his offensive game and the work paid off as he was the Big 12’s second-best scorer averaging 18.7 points per contest.

The Ottawa, Ontario native was extremely efficient, becoming just the eighth Division I player this decade to average 18.5 points and shoot 49 percent from the field, 38 percent behind the arc and 87 percent at the free-throw line.

He scored at least 17 points in 27 of 34 games, pouring in 20 or more in 16 different games on his way to earning All-Big 12 First-Team accolades. Shayok was a finalist for the Julius Erving Award, which is giving annually to the nation’s top small forward.

In an era where transfer players have played a significant role in Iowa State’s success, Shayok topped them all with 637 points after arriving at the school.

Shayok was also name the Big 12 Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. He averaged 18 points in wins against Baylor, Kansas State and Kansas with his three-pointers late in the semifinal win against the Wildcats highlighting the mid-March run.

Shayok becomes the seventh player that Iowa State head coach Steve Prohm has had drafted in his eight years as a college coach (Murray State and Iowa State).