Marial is the son of Makur Shayok, a 6-foot-8 center from South Sudan, who played two seasons at Dayton (1990-92). Marial was born in Ottawa, Ont., in 1995 three years after his dad’s college career ended.
Makur’s basketball background played a big role in his son’s career.
“My dad moving to North America to play basketball and bringing his family with him,” Marial told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation last year, “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.”
Marial started and had 12 points in a 103-86 loss to the United States in Paris. He had 15 points in a 90-79 victory against Puerto Rico in South Sudan’s first game. South Sudan is making its Olympics debut in men’s basketball.
Marial played three seasons at Virginia and then one season at Iowa State. He was a second-round pick in the 2019 draft. He appeared in four games with the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2019-20 season.
Marial wasn’t the only child of Makur to play basketball. His older brother Shayok Shayok played at Bradley. His older sister Yar played at Detroit Mercy.
Marial’s dad Makur, whose first name was spelled Makor during his time in Dayton, scored 541 points in two seasons with the Flyers. He averaged 9.5 points and 5.9 rebounds in his final season for a Dayton team that finished 15-15.
Makur started playing basketball as a senior in high school in Sudan in part because of the success of Manute Bol, a native of Sudan then playing in the NBA. Shayok played two seasons at Alvin Community College in Texas before transferring to Dayton.
According to a 1990 Dayton Daily News story by columnist Tom Archdeacon, Makur came to UD with his wife Helen and three young daughters.
Makur was the first foreign-born Dayton player in the modern era. The Dayton Daily News ranked him the second-best international Flyer in 2017 behind Dyshawn Pierre (Canada). Jim O’Brien, Makur’s coach at Dayton, said then he was a fan favorite.
“People are into his life story more than his basketball,” O’Brien told Archdeacon. “Dayton itself is a very family-oriented city. And people want to see him succeed. We had some scrimmages last week at Belmont and Alter high schools, and when he did something well, there was a different feel from the crowd. They want to see this guy make it.”
The 2023 CBC story showed photos of Makur’s UD diploma on his wall at home as well as a photo of him in a graduation cap and gown. There was also a photo of his “Shorty” Sharpenter Memorial Rebounding Trophy and a 1992 UD team photo.
Shayok moved his family, which then included four young children, to Ottawa in August 1992, the same month he graduated from UD. He told the Dayton Daily News then he was applying for political asylum because of warfare in his home country. He needed the free health care the Canadian government would provide.
”The government gives you housing until you get a job,” Shayok said. “I’ve got to take the benefits now without wasting time. The government will support us until I settle down.”
About the Author
