Max Christie (basketball) explained

Max Christie
Position:Shooting guard
Height Ft:6
Height In:5
Weight Lbs:190
League:NBA
Team:Los Angeles Lakers
Number:12
Birth Date:10 February 2003
Birth Place:Arlington Heights, Illinois, U.S.
High School:Rolling Meadows
(Rolling Meadows, Illinois)
College:Michigan State (2021–2022)
Draft Year:2022
Draft Round:2
Draft Pick:35
Draft Team:Los Angeles Lakers
Career Start:2022
Years1:–present
Team1:Los Angeles Lakers
Years2:2022–2023
Team2:South Bay Lakers
Highlights:

Cormac Karl "Max" Christie Jr. (born February 10, 2003) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans of the Big Ten Conference. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top shooting guards in the 2021 class.

High school career

Christie played basketball for Rolling Meadows High School in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, and was teammates with his younger brother, Cameron.[1] In his freshman season, he averaged 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists per game.[2] As a sophomore, Christie averaged 25.5 points, ten rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. He scored a career-high 51 points against Elk Grove High School.[3] In his junior season, Christie averaged 25 points and 11 rebounds per game, earning Pioneer Press Player of the Year honors.[4] As a senior, he averaged 24.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.1 steals per game, leading his team to a 15–0 record. Christie was selected as Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year, News-Gazette All-State Player of the Year and Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year.[5] [6] [7] He was named to the rosters for the McDonald's All-American Game, Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit.[8]

Recruiting

Christie was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top shooting guards in the 2021 class.[9] On July 7, 2020, he committed to playing college basketball for Michigan State over offers from Duke, Villanova and Ohio State, among others.[10]

College career

On January 5, 2022, Christie scored a season-high 21 points in a 79–67 win against Nebraska.[11] As a freshman, he averaged 9.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game and was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.[12] On April 1, 2022, Christie declared for the 2022 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility[13] and on May 16 announced he would hire an agent and remain in the draft.[14]

Professional career

Christie was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the 2022 NBA draft with the 35th overall pick. Christie joined the Lakers' 2022 NBA Summer League roster.[15] In his Summer League debut, Christie scored five points and nine rebounds in a 100–66 California Classic win against the Miami Heat.[16] On July 8, 2022, Christie signed his rookie scale contract with the Lakers.[17] He was assigned to the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League on March 8, 2023.[18] He was recalled by the Los Angeles Lakers from South Bay two days later.[19]

On December 9, 2023, Christie and the Lakers won the inaugural season of the NBA In-Season Tournament.[20]

Christie re-signed with the Lakers on a four year 32 million deal on the 2nd of July, 2024.[21] [22]

National team career

Christie represented the United States at the 2019 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Brazil. He averaged 9.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, helping his team win the gold medal.[23]

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

|-| style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers| 41 || 3 || 12.5 || .415 || .419 || .875 || 1.8 || .5 || .2 || .2 || 3.1|-| style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers| 67 || 7 || 14.1 || .427 || .356 || .783 || 2.1 || .9 || .3 || .3 || 4.2|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career| 108 || 10 || 13.5 || .424 || .378 || .806 || 2.0 || .8 || .3 || .2 || 3.8

Playoffs

|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2023| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers| 9 || 0 || 3.7 || .500 || .250 || .500 || .8 || .3 || .0 || .1 || 1.4|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career| 9 || 0 || 3.7 || .500 || .250 || .500 || .8 || .3 || .0 || .1 || 1.4

College

|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2021–22| style="text-align:left;"| Michigan State| 35 || 35 || 30.8 || .382 || .317 || .824 || 3.5 || 1.5 || .5 || .5 || 9.3

Personal life

Christie's mother, Katrina (nee Hannaford), played college basketball at Northwestern, scoring over 1,000 points, and is a psychologist.[24] His father, Max Sr., played college basketball at Parkland College and Wisconsin–Superior before becoming an aircraft pilot.[25] His younger brother Cam Christie was a collegiate basketball player at Minnesota.[26] On June 27, 2024, younger brother Cam Christie was selected with the 46th overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2024 NBA Draft.[9]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Narang . Bob . For Rolling Meadows phenom Max Christie, life in the spotlight is the new normal . . June 20, 2021 . December 13, 2019.
  2. Web site: Narang . Bob . Must-see Mustang: Max Christie a game-changer at Rolling Meadows . . June 20, 2021 . November 10, 2018.
  3. Web site: Quinn . Brendan . Max Christie picks Michigan State as Tom Izzo’s recruiting haul continues . . June 20, 2021 . July 7, 2020.
  4. Web site: Reaven . Steve . Rolling Meadows’ Max Christie is the 2019-20 Pioneer Press Boys Basketball Player of the Year . . June 20, 2021 . March 21, 2020.
  5. Web site: Richey . Scott . N-G All-State POY: Christie cemented legacy at Rolling Meadows . . June 20, 2021 . May 2, 2021.
  6. Web site: Rolling Meadows' Christie picks up Gatorade honor . . June 20, 2021 . June 4, 2021.
  7. Web site: O'Brien . Michael . 2021 Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year: Rolling Meadows’ Max Christie . . June 20, 2021 . April 1, 2021.
  8. Web site: Davis . Tyler J. . Michigan State signee Max Christie becomes Tom Izzo's first McDonald's All American in 4 years . . June 20, 2021 . February 23, 2021.
  9. Web site: Narang . Bob . After star-studded summer, Max Christie ready for junior year at Rolling Meadows . . June 20, 2021 . August 12, 2019.
  10. Web site: Borzello . Jeff . 5-star guard Max Christie commits to Michigan State basketball . . June 20, 2021 . July 7, 2020.
  11. News: No. 10 Michigan State tops Nebraska 79–67 for 8th win in row . March 13, 2022 . . . January 5, 2022.
  12. 2021-22 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Postseason Honors Announced. https://web.archive.org/web/20220308180525/https://bigten.org/news/2022/3/8/2021-22-big-ten-mens-basketball-postseason-honors-announced.aspx. dead. March 8, 2022. . March 8, 2022 . March 8, 2022.
  13. Web site: Solari . Chris . Michigan State basketball freshman Max Christie testing NBA draft process . April 1, 2022 . Detroit Free Press . en-US.
  14. Web site: 2022-05-16 . Michigan State’s Max Christie hiring agent, remaining in NBA Draft . 2022-05-17 . mlive . en.
  15. Web site: Los Angeles Lakers 2022 NBA2K23 Summer League Roster NBA.com . 2022-07-14 . www.nba.com.
  16. Web site: Los Angeles Lakers vs Miami Heat Jul 2, 2022 Box Scores NBA.com . 2022-07-14 . www.nba.com.
  17. Web site: Lakers Sign Max Christie . 2022-07-14 . www.nba.com . en.
  18. Web site: Los Angeles Lakers Make A Roster Move Following Win Over Grizzlies On Tuesday Night . 2023-03-09 . SI.com .
  19. Web site: Los Angeles Lakers Make A Roster Move Ahead Of Friday Night Game Against Raptors . 2023-03-10 . SI.com .
  20. Web site: 2023-12-10 . Lakers take NBA Cup as AD explodes for 41-20 . 2023-12-10 . ESPN.com.
  21. Web site: Sources: Christie to stay with Lakers on $32M deal. ESPN.com. June 30, 2024. July 4, 2024.
  22. Web site: lalswong. Lakers Re-Sign Max Christie. NBA.com. July 6, 2024. July 14, 2024.
  23. Web site: Solari . Chris . Michigan State basketball adds 'special, unique kid' in 5-star SG Max Christie . . June 20, 2021 . July 7, 2020.
  24. Web site: Babcock-McGraw . Patricia . Rolling Meadows' Christie prepared to soar to new heights on court . . June 20, 2021 . November 21, 2019.
  25. Web site: Bain . Matthew . 'Pressure is a privilege': This is Max Christie, the most humble five-star phenom you'll meet . Hawk Central . June 20, 2021 . May 1, 2019.
  26. Web site: Cam Christie . Gopher Sports . December 7, 2023 . 2023.