Mayan Kiir Explained

Mayan Kiir
Position:Power forward
Height M:2.06
Weight Kg:99
Team:Free agent
Birth Date:1 January 1998
Birth Place:South Sudan
Nationality:South Sudanese / American
High School:Victory Rock Prep
(Bradenton, Florida)
College:LSU (2017–2018)
South Florida (2018–2019)
New Mexico State (2019–2021)
Central Baptist College (2021–2022)
Draft Year:2022
Career Start:2022
Years1:2022
Team1:Cobra Sport
Years2:2022
Team2:Westchester Knicks
Highlights:
  • BAL rebounding leader (2022)

Mayan Keer Kiir (born 1 January 1998) is a South Sudanese-American professional basketball player who last played for the Westchester Knicks of the NBA G League.

Early life and career

Kiir was born in South Sudan but fled the country when he was four, along with his mother and siblings, leaving his father behind who was fighting in the Second Sudanese Civil War.[1]

The family moved to Melbourne, Australia, where Kiir started playing for the development team Longhorns where he was discovered by coach Manny Berberi.[2] He then earned a scholarship to play high school basketball for Victory Rock Prep in Florida. He led his team in scoring and rebounding in his senior season.

College career

Kiir played for LSU in his first college season, for South Florida in his second and after a transfer year he played for New Mexico State. He was also on the roster for Central Baptist College during the 2021–22 season and played his last game on January 13, 2022.[3]

Professional career

On April 9, 2022, Kiir made his professional debut with Cobra Sport in the Basketball Africa League (BAL).[4] He had a double-double of 18 points and 22 rebounds in a loss to Zamalek, setting a league record for most rebounds in a game.[5] Kiir averaged 18.8 points and a league-leading 11.2 rebounds in five games in the Nile Conference, as Cobra finished in the fifth place.

Westchester Knicks (2022)

On October 24, 2022, Kiir joined the Westchester Knicks training camp roster.[6] He was picked by the Knicks in the 2022 NBA G League draft with the 15th overall pick, becoming the first BAL player to be selected in an NBA G League draft.[7] However, he was waived on December 29.[8]

Personal

Kiir is the cousin of Mangok Mathiang, a professional basketball player who has played for the National Basketball Association (NBA) team Charlotte Hornets.[9]

BAL career statistics

|-|style="text-align:left;"|2022|style="text-align:left;"|Cobra Sport| 5 || 5 || 29.4 || .474 || .278 || .586 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 11.2* || 2.2 || .8 || .8 || 18.8|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career| 5 || 5 || 29.4 || .474 || .278 || .586 || 11.2 || 2.2 || .8 || .8 || 18.8

Notes and References

  1. News: USF's Mayan Kiir living dream of playing college basketball . 9 April 2022 . www.baynews9.com . en.
  2. News: Cobra Sports' Berberi and Kiir add Australian flair to BAL . 22 May 2022 . ESPN . 12 April 2022 . en.
  3. Web site: Mayan Kiir . Central Baptist College . 9 April 2022 . en.
  4. Web site: LiveStats . fibalivestats.dcd.shared.geniussports.com . 9 April 2022.
  5. News: Diogu Sparks BAL Reigning Champion in the Opener of the Nile Conference . 10 April 2022 . The BAL . 9 April 2022 . en.
  6. Web site: Westchester Knicks Announce 2022-23 Training Camp Roster. oursportscentral.com. October 23, 2022. October 23, 2022.
  7. Web site: How Kiir became the first BAL player drafted to the G League. NBA.com. November 3, 2022. January 8, 2023.
  8. Web site: 2022-2023 Westchester Knicks Transactions History. RealGM.com. April 23, 2023.
  9. Web site: Mayan Kiir - 2020-21 - Men's Basketball . New Mexico State University Athletics . 9 April 2022 . en.