Marcus Taylor Paige ( sr-Cyrl, Маркус Тејлор Пејџ; born September 11, 1993) is an American-Serbian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for Monbus Obradoiro of the Liga ACB. He played college basketball for the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

, where he helped lead the Tar Heels to the 2016 NCAA Championship Game. In addition to being a citizen of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, Paige also has Serbian citizenship.

High school career

Paige was rated as the number 22 overall player (and the best point guard) in the class of 2012 in the ESPNU 100, the number 35 player by

Scout.com Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Sports ...

, and the number 34 player by

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

. In his junior year, Paige led Linn-Mar High School to an undefeated season and the 2011 4-A state title. Considered by scouts to be an excellent ball handler with shooting range to the three-point line, Paige also played on the AAU circuit with Martin Brothers Select. On January 8, 2011, Paige verbally committed to play

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

, turning down scholarship offers from Iowa State,

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

, and

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

. In his senior season, Paige was the leader of his Linn-Mar team, as he averaged over 28 points per game. He also recorded the most points in school history with 49 against Cedar Rapids Kennedy in Substate. Paige's high school career ended when Linn-Mar was defeated by Iowa City West in the State semi-finals.

College recruitment

College career

Freshman season

During his freshman season at North Carolina, Paige averaged 8.6 points and 4.6 assists per game and started 34 of 36 games for the Tar Heels. Throughout the season, his assist to turnover ratio was 1.8:1, which was sixth in the Atlantic Coast Conference. His season high for points in a game was against Virginia Tech, with 19, and a season high for assists against Notre Dame with 10. Paige led the Tar Heels to the round of thirty-two where they eventually lost to the Kansas Jayhawks 70–58. At season's end, he was elected to both the ACC All-Academic Team and the Freshman All-American team.

Sophomore season

Paige improved his statistics from his freshman season. During his sophomore season, he averaged 17.5 points per game and 4.2 assists per game. Throughout the season, he shot 44% from the field, 39% from three-point range, and 87.7% from the free throw line. His point average per game was fourth in the ACC, and his free throw percentage was the highest in the entire conference. Paige led the Tar Heels to the NCAA tournament, where for a second year in a row, they lost in the round of thirty-two, this time against the Iowa State Cyclones 85–83. He was named second-team All-American, first-team All-ACC, and was awarded the ACC's Most Improved Player.

Junior season

Paige finished his junior season averaging 14.1 points and 4.5 assists per game. After a stellar sophomore season, Paige had a dip in offensive production. He managed to shoot 39.5% from three-point range while shooting only 41.3% from the field. For the season, Paige fell only one three-pointer short of tying Shammond William's record for most three-pointers made in a single season, which is now held by Justin Jackson at 101. Paige earned himself second-team Academic All-American honors for the second consecutive year, as he managed to also earn second-team All-ACC honors. His statistical drops are in part credited to a case of plantar fasciitis that Paige was fighting all year long.

Senior season

Paige was named preseason ACC player of the year. Early in the season, Paige was widely regarded to have been in a shooting slump. He broke the UNC record for the most career 3-pointers made (299). However, he recovered late in the season and helped the Tar Heels win the 2016 ACC tournament and lead them to the 2016 NCAA Championship Game, where they faced Villanova. In the game, Paige scored 21 points and hit a game-tying circus three-pointer with 4.7 seconds left in the 2nd half of regulation. However, Villanova's

Kris Jenkins Kristopher Rudy-Charles Jenkins (born August 3, 1979) is a former American football defensive tackle who played for the Carolina Panthers and New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of ...

went on to score a buzzer beater to win the game 77–74.

Professional career

Salt Lake City Stars (2016–2017)

On June 23, 2016, Paige was selected by the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The ...

with the 55th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft. He was later traded to the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

the following day. He signed with the Jazz on August 22, 2016, but was waived on October 13. On October 31, he was acquired by the

Salt Lake City Stars The Salt Lake City Stars are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Salt Lake City, Utah, and are affiliated with the Utah Jazz. As of the 2022-23 season, the Stars play in the Maverik Center in West Valley City, U ...

of the NBA Development League. Paige appeared in 46 games and started 40 for the

in the 2016–17 NBA Development league season. His season averages were 12.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists in 32.7 minutes per game. Paige joined the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

for the 2017 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Charlotte Hornets/Greensboro Swarm (2017–2018)

On August 1, 2017, Paige 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 ...

by the Charlotte Hornets. Under the terms of the deal, he and fellow two-way affiliate

Mangok Mathiang Mangok Mathiang (born 8 October 1992) is a South Sudanese-Australian professional basketball player for Hapoel Eilat of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He played college basketball for the University of Louisville. Early life and high sc ...

split time between the Hornets and their G League 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 ...

. Paige averaged 15.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game in 46 games with Greensboro. On June 29, 2018, the Hornets announced that they would decline a qualifying offer to Paige, making him a free agent.

Partizan Belgrade (2018–2021)

On July 11, 2018, Paige signed a two-year contract with the Serbian club

Partizan Belgrade Jugoslovensko sportsko društvo Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, Југословенско спортско друштво Партизан, lit=Yugoslav Sports Society Partizan), commonly abbreviated as JSD Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, ЈСД Партизан, link ...

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 ...

. On February 12, 2019, Paige obtained a

Serbian passport Serbian passports are issued to Serbian citizens at any age, and it is the primary document of international travel issued by Serbia. Passports are issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs or, if the citizen resides abroad, at the embassy. Be ...

and Serbian citizenship. He signed a two-year deal on May 9, 2020. On May 9, 2020, Paige signed a second two-year contract after helping the club to both the Serbian Cup and ABA League Supercup in 2019 and a second Serbian Cup in 2020. Partizan parted ways with him in August 2021.

Orléans Loiret (2021–2022)

On September 16, 2021, Paige signed with French club

Orléans Loiret Basket Orléans Loiret Basket, formerly known as Entente Orléanaise and Entente Orléanaise 45 Loiret, is a professional basketball club that is based in the city of Orléans, France. "45" is the number of Loiret. The club plays in the French Pro A Le ...

of the LNB Pro A.

Monbus Obradoiro (2022–present)

On July 17, 2022, Paige signed with Spanish club Monbus Obradoiro od the Liga ACB.

Career statistics

College

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2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

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

, 35 , , 34 , , 29.2 , , .356 , , .344 , , .836 , , 2.7 , , 4.6 , , 1.4 , , .1 , , 8.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 33 , , 35.6 , , .440 , , .389 , , .877 , , 3.2 , , 4.2 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , 17.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;",

, 38 , , 38 , , 33.2 , , .413 , , .395 , , .865 , , 2.9 , , 4.5 , , 1.7 , , .2 , , 14.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 34 , , 31.6 , , .397 , , .355 , , .796 , , 2.5 , , 3.7 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , 13.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 141 , , 139 , , 32.4 , , .407 , , .374 , , .848 , , 2.8 , , 4.3 , , 1.4 , , .2 , , 13.3 Source
sports-reference.com

Professional career

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NBA D-League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Dev ...

, 46 , , 32.7 , , .398 , , .354 , , .837 , , 2.2 , , 2.3 , , .9 , , .3 , , 12.1 , - , style="text-align:center;", , style="text-align:left;",

, NBA G League , 46 , , 32.6 , , .428 , , .373 , , .847 , , 3.0 , , 4.4 , , 1.4 , , .2 , , 15.2 , - , style="text-align:center;", , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte Hornets , NBA , 5 , , 5.6 , , .286 , , .250 , , 1.000 , , .8 , , .6 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.4 , - , style="text-align:center;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;", Partizan ,

, 60 , , 24.2 , , .405 , , .375 , , .792 , , 2.4 , , 3.7 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 10.2 , - , style="text-align:center;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;", Partizan ,

, 42 , , 22.3 , , .461 , , .462 , , .857 , , 1.5 , , 1.9 , , .8 , , .3 , , 9.9 , - , style="text-align:center;", 2020–21 , style="text-align:left;", Partizan ,

, 43 , , 25.8 , , .424 , , .422 , , .767 , , 1.3 , , 2.4 , , .9 , , .3 , , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:center;", 2021–22 , style="text-align:left;", Orleans Loiret Basket , LNB Pro A , 27 , , 29.9 , , .454 , , .423 , , .860 , , 1.8 , , 3.4 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 9.9 , -

References

External links

ABA League profile

North Carolina Tar Heels bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paige, Marcus 1993 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople ABA League players African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American emigrants to Serbia American expatriate basketball people in Serbia American men's basketball players Basketball League of Serbia players Basketball players from Iowa Brooklyn Nets draft picks Charlotte Hornets players Greensboro Swarm players KK Partizan players Linn-Mar High School alumni McDonald's High School All-Americans Naturalized citizens of Serbia North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players Obradoiro CAB players Orléans Loiret Basket players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Marion, Iowa Point guards Salt Lake City Stars players Serbian men's basketball players Serbian people of African-American descent Sportspeople from Cedar Rapids, Iowa