Yante Khaaliq Daiyann Maten (born August 14, 1996) is an American 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 San-en NeoPhoenix of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for the

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 ...

. A 6’7”

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...

from Pontiac, Michigan, Maten won SEC Player of the Year by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

as a senior.

College career

After starring at Lahser High School for three years until its closure in 2013, and then in the 2013–14 season at its successor,

Bloomfield Hills High School Bloomfield Hills High School (BHHS) is a public high school in Bloomfield Township, Michigan, United States. It is the sole comprehensive high school of the Bloomfield Hills School District, and was established in 2013 when the district merged ...

, Maten surprised recruiting experts by selecting

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

over

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

and home state school

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

. After a breakout sophomore year where he was named second-team All-

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...

(SEC) by the league's coaches, Maten enjoyed a strong individual junior season, marred by a knee injury and the Bulldogs’ mediocre 19–14 record. After averaging 18.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, he was named first-team All-SEC by the leagues’ coaches and second-team by the

. He was also named as a finalist for the

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate center. Following the success of the Bob Cousy Award which had been awarded sinc ...

for the nation's top

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

(despite starting the season on the watch list for the

Karl Malone Award The Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate power forward. Following the success of the Bob Cousy Award which had been awarded ...

for top power forward). Following his junior season, Maten declared his eligibility for 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. ...

without an agent, leaving open the possibility of returning to Georgia for his senior year. Ultimately, after working out for NBA teams he decided to return to Georgia for his senior year to improve his draft position. Prior to the start of the 2017–18 season, Maten was named the preseason SEC co-Player of the Year (with

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

forward Robert Williams and incoming

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

freshman

Michael Porter Jr. Michael Lamar Porter Jr. (born June 29, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Missouri Tigers. Porter was ranked as one of ...

). After a strong start to the season, Maten was named to the

John R. Wooden Award The John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award, and recognizing the ...

midseason top 25 watch list on January 10, one of only two SEC players to be so recognized. Maten won SEC Player of the Year by the

and was named to the All-SEC First Team.

Professional career

Miami Heat (2018–2019)

After not being selected in the 2018 NBA draft, Maten 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

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

of the

National Basketball Association 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 ...

(NBA) on July 29, 2018. Under the terms of the deal, he split his time between the Heat and their

NBA G 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 De ...

affiliate, the

Sioux Falls Skyforce The Sioux Falls Skyforce are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and are affiliated with the Miami Heat. The team plays their home games in the Sanford Pentagon, a place they have call ...

. On December 2, 2018, Maten scored a career-high 42 points to go along with 14 rebounds and 3 blocks in a 113-108 win over the Stockton Kings. Maten was named NBA G League Player of the Month for December 2018. On April 7, 2019, the Heat signed Maten to a standard NBA contract. On July 29, 2019, Maten was waived by the

Maine Red Claws (2019–2020)

On September 17, 2019, Maten was reported to have signed with the Boston Celtics. On October 20, 2019, Maten was reported to have waived by the Celtics. On October 26, 2019, Maten was included in the training camp roster of the

Maine Red Claws The Maine Celtics (formerly the Maine Red Claws) are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Portland, Maine, and are affiliated with the Boston Celtics. The Maine Celtics play their home games at the Portland Expo B ...

Wonju DB Promy (2020–2021)

Maten joined

Wonju DB Promy The Wonju DB Promy is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League (KBL), located in the city of Wonju. From its founding in 1996, the team has always been based in its home province of Gangwon. It has the rare distinction of ...

of the Korean Basketball League for the 2020–21 season.

Hapoel Tel Aviv (2022)

On April 23, 2022, he has signed with Hapoel Tel Aviv of the

Israeli Premier League The Israeli Premier League ( he, ליגת העל, ''Ligat Ha`Al'', ), is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Israeli Football League – the state's league of Israel. The league is contested b ...

Career statistics

Professional

, style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",

, 30 , , 32.7 , , .539 , , .327 , , .777 , , 9.6 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , 1.1 , , 23.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, NBA , 2 , , 6.5 , , .250 , , .000, , .000 , , 1.5 , , .0 , , .5 , , .0 , , 1.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;",

, 39 , , 28.8 , , .545 , , .247 , , .712 , , 8.8 , , 1.8 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , 18.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , All Leagues , 71 , , 29.8 , , .541 , , .291 , , .754 , , 9.0 , , 1.8 , , .9 , , .9 , , 19.9

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 2 , , 18.2 , , .416 , , .000 , , .648 , , 4.3 , , .3 , , .3 , , 1.4 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 34 , , 30.0 , , .496 , , .533 , , .783 , , 8.0 , , .8 , , .3 , , 1.8 , , 16.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",

, 29 , , 28 , , 29.0 , , .519 , , .488 , , .716 , , 6.8 , , 1.5 , , .7 , , 1.5 , , 18.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 33 , , 34.3 , , .464 , , .341 , , .801 , , 8.6 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , 1.5 , , 19.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 128 , , 97 , , 27.9 , , .483 , , .403 , , .755 , , 6.9 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 1.6 , , 14.7

References

External links

Georgia Bulldogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maten, Yante 1996 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from Michigan Centers (basketball) Georgia Bulldogs basketball players Maine Red Claws players Miami Heat players Power forwards (basketball) Sioux Falls Skyforce players Sportspeople from Pontiac, Michigan Undrafted National Basketball Association players United States men's national basketball team players