Marial Shayok’s journey from the Sixers to making history with South Sudan at the Olympics

Marial Shayok was in high school in 2011 when South Sudan gained its independence.

The former 76er grew up in Ottawa, but his parents were born in what is now the East African country. Now, Shayok is representing the youngest nation in the world at the Paris Olympics, and his team is putting the basketball world on notice.

South Sudan nearly pulled off a shocking upset against star-studded Team USA on July 20, taking the Americans to the final possession in a pre-Olympic friendly before ultimately falling by one point. Playing against his former teammate, Joel Embiid, Shayok led all players on the floor with 24 points. He made six threes — twice as many as Steph Curry.

And he did it for a nation and a team that didn’t exist 13 years ago.

“Everyone’s just taking great pride that we’re representing South Sudan, and it’s such a positive light,” Shayok told The Inquirer. “It’s usually known for being a war-torn country. And has a lot more negative narratives attached to it. So just being a part of something so special, it means a lot.”

The dream Shayok is now living began at a prep school in New Jersey.

Shayok’s early basketball journey took him to Blair Academy in Blairstown — the same school that South Sudan coach Royal Ivey and Luol Deng, president of the South Sudan Basketball Federation, both attended before embarking on their NBA careers.

Ivey and Deng were Blair coach Joe Mantegna’s first recruits in 1999. Mantegna now serves as an assistant coach for South Sudan in Paris.

At the time, the South Sudanese national team wasn’t a goal Shayok even knew he could aspire to. After Blair, he spent three seasons playing for Virginia and transferred to Iowa State for his senior year. He was drafted by the Sixers in the second round, 54th overall, in 2019.

Shayok signed a two-way deal and spent most of his time playing on the team’s G League affiliate in Delaware.

» READ MORE: South Sudan is the underdog story of the Olympics, and a former Sixers guard Royal Ivey leads the way

During his time in Philadelphia, and the four games he played with the Sixers, which coincided with the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said he looks back fondly on those days.

“I loved it,” Shayok said. “Playing with some of the best players in the world, playing with a future MVP in Joel and other great stars. It was a great experience learning from those guys and being part of that team, and living in Philly was also great.”

Shayok averaged 19.7 points in 21 games with the Delaware Blue Coats, averaging 50% from three-point range. The 6-foot-5 swingman was waived by the Sixers after that season.

The basketball dream didn’t end, though — he spent two seasons playing in the Turkish Super League, returned to the G League for a year with the Boston Celtics’ affiliate, and, most recently, wrapped up a season with the Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin of the Chinese Basketball Association.

He said he has options going forward but will make a decision on his next destination after the Olympics end.

After Deng took over the nascent South Sudan basketball program in 2020, he brought the Bright Stars to their first tournament a year later. In 2023, they qualified for the FIBA World Cup. For Shayok, joining them was a no-brainer.

“Representing my family members, my grandfather, everyone way before me, was something I’ve always wanted to do and take great pride in,” Shayok said.

Shayok grew up in a basketball family. His father, Makur, fled civil war to play basketball in the U.S., ultimately ending up at Dayton. He later played professionally overseas, as did his daughter, Yar, and older son, Shayok Shayok.

Marial is the youngest of five, and his father and older siblings were significant influences on his journey. When he wears the Bright Stars uniform — part of the first team to do so at the Olympics — Shayok is honoring them.

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid expects to learn ‘nothing’ from the Olympics. The way he’s playing, he’s right.

“It’s something I probably can’t even grasp in the moment,” he said.

His family landed in Paris in time for the opening ceremonies. They missed Shayok’s standout performance in the pretournament game against the U.S., but they’ll be there for the rematch on Wednesday (3 p.m. Philadelphia time, USA).

South Sudan does not have any indoor basketball courts. The program did not exist 13 years ago. As they line up against the most successful international team in history, the players know the world — and the people back home — will be watching.

“We hope it helps motivate and help inspires a lot of young South Sudanese kids that aspire to play basketball, or anything really,” Shayok said. “Let them know that it’s possible.”