Thon Maker Opens New Path to NBA Stardom

Thon Maker Opens New Path to NBA Stardom

Thon Maker of Orangeville Prep will become the first prep-to-pro NBA player in over a decade.

Jun 23, 2016 by Brett Pickert
Thon Maker Opens New Path to NBA Stardom
South Sudanese basketball phenom Thon Maker (Orangeville Prep) will make history in this year's NBA Draft by becoming the first player since the NBA age limit ruling in 2006 to go from prep school to the NBA. According to Chad Ford, Maker is expected to go at No. 18 to the Detroit Pistons.

Maker's journey is interesting—his family escaped a civil war when he was five, and fled to Australia. After settling down there, Maker then attended two schools in Louisiana in 2014. Then ultimately ended up at Orangeville Prep in Ontario, Canada.

On April 3, 2016, Maker made the shocking announcement that he would be entering the 2016 NBA Draft.

At first, the collective reaction was, “What? You’re still in high school.” But Maker found a new way for prep stars to make it to the best basketball league in the world. Maker was 19 years of age—one NBA requirement—and proved he graduated from Orangeville Prep in 2015. It turns out Maker attended a post-graduate program at Orangeville. Did Maker just find a new pathway for future NBA athletes?

With more “athlete factories” popping up across the United States, why not have post-graduate programs for athletes? Not to downplay the importance of a college education—every person should have the right to explore higher education—BUT, if one is ready for the NBA, why hold them back?

The NBA is the only professional league, besides the NFL, that requires draftees to be at least one year removed from their high school graduation. Major League Baseball has an either-or clause—you can come straight to the MLB or spend a minimum of three years in college. For the NHL, you just have to be 18 on or before September 15 in the same year as the draft, unless you’re not from a North American country. Then, you have to wait until you’re 20.

One lesser-known path to NBA-stardom is joining the NBA D-League. The only requirement is that you’re 18 years of age. 

We all know the story of Brandon Jennings and Emmanuel Mudiay. Both, played overseas for a year then entered the NBA Draft. Now, according to a report, Terrance Ferguson may do the same. There’s nothing wrong with taking this route. Every player’s situation is different, and we shouldn’t judge. Jennings signed a $1.2-million deal to play one year of basketball in Europe. Mudiay signed a $1.2 million deal to play for the Guangdon Southern Tigers in China. The NBA D-league pays between $20,000-$25,000 with housing included, while the NBA's minimum salary is $525,093.

Traveling overseas may not be in the cards for some, and climbing the ladder through the D-league may be too tedious. Maker has opened another door for athletes to achieve their dreams of playing in the NBA.