Why Marial Shayok's basketball story is coming full circle with South Sudan

Former NBA player Marial Shayok says he first fell in love with basketball when he was just a kid, watching his family play in Ottawa's southeast end.

"My dad and my older siblings, just follow[ing] them around, watching their tournaments … and following their footsteps, I kind of always had all the answers to the test," recalled the 28-year-old, who went on to play for the Philadelphia 76ers.

In large part, Shayok credits his success to his dad, who played professionally before becoming the family coach, as well as his older siblings, who also went on to play pro.

"Growing up in a basketball family was the biggest blessing I could have asked for." 

Now, Shayok says he hopes to give back to his family and community back home by donning the South Sudan jersey this week at the FIBA World Cup.

"My dad moving to North America to play basketball and bringing his family with him … and his kids playing basketball [and] now me having a chance to play for our native country — it means the world to my family and to myself." 

Basketball as an escape

For the Shayok family, basketball and home have always been intertwined, sometimes in complicated ways.

Marial's dad, Makur, fled civil war in South Sudan (then Sudan) in the '80s through basketball, thanks to a scholarship at Alvin Community College in Texas.

The Shayoks eventually made their way to Ottawa, where Makur turned his focus to passing on the game to his growing family.

"Basketball is something I love so much. And since I'm around, they started playing when they are young, like two, five, six," Makur explained.

"All we did was play basketball, watch basketball. We even had a basketball net in our basement. So it was just all basketball," added Marial, recalling that every weekend they'd go to the YMCA and watch dad play in the men's league.

"So my dad was very, very influential in us becoming basketball players."

Marial's older brother Shayok Shayok played for Bradley University in Illinois and later professionally in Brazil. Marial's older sister, Yar, got a basketball scholarship to attend the University of Detroit Mercy and went on to play professionally in France.

For her, the family's connection with the sport was more than simply a game.

"Just having that basketball bond, a lot of times we were able to use sports references when dealing with different adversities in life," she explained. 

At age 23, Marial was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers, and then played professionally in Europe for two years before making his comeback for the Maine Celtics in the NBA G-League. This summer, he turned his focus to helping organize a free basketball tournament for youth in Ottawa to showcase their skills.

He says it's one way to give back to his community, and to the game he continues to love. Halfway across the world, he hopes to also give back by representing South Sudan on the world stage.

The world's newest country is making its first appearance at the FIBA World Cup, taking on Puerto Rico on Aug. 26.

Full circle

For the Shayok family, it's a full circle moment.

"If you look back at the story of how basketball came to fruition for us as a family, it was definitely something that enabled us to come to Canada, that my dad utilized to attend university, and then … being able to settle down," explained Yar.

"Having the opportunity to make that full circle moment, and go represent the country that our parents were born in … it's such an amazing experience."

"Putting the South Sudan jersey on, it's going to be great," added Marial. 

"I think my family is going to be super proud. I'm going to be super proud. It's one of my biggest achievements."