Mangok Mathiang (born 8 October 1992) is a South Sudanese-Australian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for Hapoel Eilat of the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional sports, professional competition in Israeli sports club, club basketball, making ...

. He played college basketball for the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...

Early life and high school career

Mathiang was born in

Juba Juba () is the capital and largest city of South Sudan. The city is situated on the White Nile and also serves as the capital of the Central Equatoria State. It is the world's newest capital city to be elevated as such, and had a populatio ...

in what is now

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...

, in central Africa.
/ref> At the age of five, he, his mother, and five siblings fled war-torn Sudan and moved to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

(which Mathiang described as "not that much better than Sudan"), to set up a move to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. His father, Alfret, decided to stay behind in

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

. Mathiang and the rest of his family arrived in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Australia, with extended family members when he was seven years old, before moving to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia, a year later, where he then lived for several years. Until he was 16 years old, Mathiang played

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

, rugby, track, and soccer for Emmanuel College in the Melbourne suburb of

Altona North Altona North is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Hobsons Bay local government area. Altona North recorded a population of 12,962 at the . Bordering sub ...

. However, due to him being 1.98m tall, he was encouraged to start playing basketball instead. He moved to the United States with his friend, Ran Tut, to achieve that goal. During his junior year of high school in 2010-11, he played basketball for Brehm Preparatory School in

Carbondale, Illinois Carbondale is a city in Jackson and Williamson Counties, Illinois, United States, within the Southern Illinois region informally known as "Little Egypt". The city developed from 1853 because of the stimulation of railroad construction into the ...

. After that, Mathiang moved to

Bradenton, Florida Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698. History Late 18th and early 19th centuries ...

to play his senior season in 2011-12 at the

IMG Academy IMG Academy is a preparatory boarding school and sports training destination in Bradenton, Florida, United States. IMG Academy is set across over 600 acres and features programs consisting of sport camps for youth athletes, adult camps, a board ...

. In his senior season, he averaged 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks per game as he helped the IMG Academy get a 28-2 record. While Mathiang also received offers from

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Unive ...

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

, and

Central Michigan University Central Michigan University (CMU) is a public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Established in 1892 as the Central Michigan Normal School and Business Institute, the private normal school became a state institution and renamed Cen ...

, he ultimately chose to go to the

for the people there.

College career

He originally was with the

Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...

during the 2012-13 season, but due to

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

regulations relating to international players like Mathaing, he was forced to sit out his first season with the team. Despite that, he still traveled and trained with the team throughout the season, all the way into the 2013 NCAA Championship Game, where the Cardinals won their third NCAA Tournament. Throughout his NCAA career, Mathiang mostly played as a bench reserve over 114 career games, usually alternating spots as a starter at times for Louisville. In his freshman season, he was seventh in the AAC in blocked shots per game (1.4). In his sophomore season, he was sixth in the ACC in blocked shots per game (1.4). During his junior season, when he was team captain for the second straight season, he was limited to playing in only 10 games total due to his breaking the fifth metatarsal in his left foot which sidelined him for the majority of that season, and he averaged 7.1 points and 5.7 rebounds in 18.8 minutes of action per game. As a result of when the injury came about, he was not deemed eligible for another redshirt season that year. His best season was his senior year with Louisville, when he averaged 7.8 points and 6.0 rebounds in 20.8 minutes of action per game in 33 games played. He was on the ACC All-Academic Team in 2015 and 2016.

Professional career

Charlotte Hornets and Greensboro Swarm (2017–2018)

After going undrafted in the

2017 NBA draft The 2017 NBA draft was held on June 22, 2017, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...

, Mathiang played for the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

during the 2017 NBA Summer League. In the five games played for the Hornets during the Orlando Summer League, he averaged 4.4 points and 5.0 rebounds in 17.2 minutes per game for the team off the bench. On 2 August 2017, Mathiang signed a

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless of ...

with the Hornets. Under the terms of the deal, he split the 2017–18 season with the Hornets and their

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

affiliate, the

Greensboro Swarm The Greensboro Swarm are an American basketball team of the NBA G League based in Greensboro, North Carolina, and are affiliated with the Charlotte Hornets. The Swarm play their home games at the Greensboro Coliseum Fieldhouse. The team became ...

. He played just 20 minutes at the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

level, becoming the fifth Sudanese-born player to appear in a NBA game, joining

Manute Bol Manute Bol (; October 16, 1962 – June 19, 2010) was a Sudanese-American professional basketball player and political activist. Listed at or tall, Bol was tied with Gheorghe Mureșan as the tallest player in the history of the National Bask ...

Deng Gai Deng Gai (born March 22, 1982) is a South Sudanese former professional basketball player. A power forward, he briefly played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and in several other leagues. Gai was the 2005 NCAA Division I men's basket ...

Luol Deng Luol Ajou Deng (born 16 April 1985) is a British former professional basketball player. He was a two-time NBA All-Star and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2012. Born in what is now South Sudan, Deng fled the country with his ...

, and

Thon Maker Thon Marial Maker (born 25 February 1997) is a South Sudanese-Australian professional basketball player for the Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He attended high school at Orangeville District Secondary School and p ...

. He spent most of his time in the G League. There, with the Swarm, he averaged 10.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 25.3 minutes per game. He was waived by the Hornets on 15 August 2018.

Guerino Vanoli Basket (2018–2019)

On 22 August 2018, Mathiang signed with

Vanoli Cremona Guerino Vanoli Basket, also known as Vanoli Cremona, is a professional basketball team of the city of Cremona. The team played in the LBA, the top Italian basketball league, for 12 years until 2021. From 1999 to 2011 the society had the name of ...

of the

Lega Basket Serie A The Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) is a professional men's club basketball league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP). It is the highest-tier le ...

. He averaged 11.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, and was named Eurobasket All-Italian Serie A Honorable Mention. Cremona went to win its first

Italian Cup Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

ever by beating

New Basket Brindisi New Basket Brindisi, for sponsorship reasons named Happy Casa Brindisi or shortly Brindisi, is a professional Italian basketball based in Brindisi, Apulia. It plays in the first division LBA in the 2022–23 season. Founded in 2004, the well ...

83–74 in the Finals.

Bahçeşehir Koleji (2019–2020)

On 11 July 2019, Mathiang signed with Bahçeşehir Koleji of the Turkish

Basketbol Süper Ligi The Basketball Super League ( tr, Basketbol Süper Ligi; BSL), also known as the Türkiye Sigorta Basketbol Süper Ligi for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's professional basketball division of the Turkish basketball league system. It replac ...

(BSL). He averaged 12.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per game.

Cedevita Olimpija (2020–2021)

Mathiang was set to play for

Cedevita Olimpija Košarkarski klub Cedevita Olimpija ( en, Cedevita Olimpija Basketball Club), commonly referred to as KK Cedevita Olimpija or simply Olimpija, is a men's professional basketball club based in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The club competes in the ABA Le ...

of the

ABA League The ABA League, renamed to the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the 1st-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Mace ...

in the 2020–21 season, but later missed the whole season after sustaining a right leg injury in practice that required surgery. He re-signed with Cedevita Olimpija in May 2021, but was let go in August 2021 after the injury worsened.

Illawarra Hawks (2022–2023)

After a four-game stint with the Casey Cavaliers during the 2022

NBL1 South NBL1 South is a NBL1 conference based in South East Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2019, Basketball Victoria partnered with the National Basketball League (NBL) to create NBL1 to replace the South East Australi ...

season, Mathiang signed with the

Illawarra Hawks The Illawarra Hawks (formerly the Wollongong Hawks and The Hawks) is an Australian professional basketball team based in Wollongong, New South Wales. The Illawarra Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games ...

of the National Basketball League on 29 July 2022. He parted ways with the Hawks on 26 January 2023 to take up a playing opportunity overseas. He averaged 7.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks (6th in the league) in 25 games during the

2022–23 NBL season The 2022–23 NBL season was the 45th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of ten teams contested in the 2022–23 season. Australian broadcast rights to the season are held by ESPN in the second sea ...

Hapoel Eilat (2023–present)

On 29 January 2023, Mathiang signed with Hapoel Eilat of the

National team career

Mathiang made his debut for the Australian national team in a 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifying match against

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align;left;",

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

, 4 , , 0 , , 5.0 , , .571 , , – , , .000 , , 2.5 , , .0 , , .3 , , .0 , , 2.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 4 , , 0 , , 5.0 , , .571 , , – , , .000 , , 2.5 , , .0 , , .3 , , .0 , , 2.0

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , style="text-align:left;",

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

, 37 , , 14 , , 14.7 , , .528 , , – , , .619 , , 3.6 , , .4 , , .4 , , 1.4 , , 3.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 9 , , 18.7 , , .388 , , – , , .481 , , 4.7 , , .5 , , .6 , , 1.4 , , 2.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

, 10 , , 2 , , 18.8 , , .563 , , – , , .586 , , 5.7 , , .5 , , .7 , , 1.2 , , 7.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 19 , , 20.8 , , .531 , , – , , .671 , , 6.0 , , .7 , , .5 , , 1.1 , , 7.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 114 , , 44 , , 18.0 , , .506 , , – , , .599 , , 4.8 , , .5 , , .5 , , 1.3 , , 4.8

References

External links