Thon Maker
July 17, 2021
Ater Majok
- Nationality: AUS/LEB/SUD
- Date of Birth: 4/07/87
- Place of Birth: Khartoum (Sudan)
- Position: F/C
- Height (CM): 210
- Weight (KG): 106
- Junior Assoc:
- College: UConn (2009–2010)
- NBL DEBUT: 29/12/10
- AGE AT DEBUT: 23
- LAST NBL GAME: 15/12/19
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 32
- NBL History: Perth 2011 | Gold Coast 2011 | New Zealand 2020
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Ater James came to Australia as a refugee from Sudan’s civil war 1987. He migrated to Sydney through a refugee camp in Egypt. Upon arrival in Sydney, he bonded with a group of young men also from Sudan, called the South Stars basketball team. He attended high school at St Aloysius’ College and Parramatta Marist High School in Sydney, and the American International School in Carlingford where he graduated in 2008. After graduating, he committed to the University of Connecticut.
He now holds the Lebanese and Australian nationalities.
FAMILY: Is the cousin of current Perth Wildcat centre Majok Majok
NBL EXPERIENCE
Ater Majok made his NBL debut with the Gold Coast Blaze at 23 years of age. He scored seven points in his first game.
After winning the 2010 championship, Wildcats legends Paul Rogers and Martin Cattalini decided to retire, leaving room for Perth to bring in some younger talent. Ater Majok, Greg Hire, Cameron Tovey, Jeremiah Trueman, and big man Matthew Knight being the key addition. Perth had beaten out multiple offers from both European and NBL team’s offering contracts to Knight, who had spent the past season playing in Hungary. During the off-season, he was pursued by multiple European and NBL clubs, but Knight, who had previously played under coach Rob Beveridge and alongside Damian Martin with the Sydney Spirit before they exited the NBL, ultimately chose to sign with the Wildcats. Another major coup came with the team being able to retain star import Kevin Lisch despite him several European clubs offering him much larger contracts and re-signed Shawn Redhage (three-year deal).
Knight’s debut season for the Wildcats began positively before tearing his left calf muscle in a win over Melbourne (12 Dec). The injury ruled Knight out for two months, and a injury to Jesse Wagstaff (ankle ligaments) saw him on the sidelines as well shortly after. On Christmas Eve, the Wildcats signed Ater Majok (7.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks) to a six-week deal as an injury replacement for Jesse Wagstaff and Matthew Knight. 8 games later Majok was released due to behavioural issues. Despite his short stint in Perth, Majok became a favourite amongst the Wildcat’s fans with due to his shot blocking ability, blocking a total of 11 shots in his first three games. This forced coach Beveridge to sign former NBA big man Andre Brown (9.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 0.6 steals) in a attempt to improve the interior weaknesses since losing Knight (12.4 points and 6.7 rebounds) and Wagstaff (8.4 points and 4.3 rebounds).
Perth would go on to win the NBL championship while Majok would sign with rival team Gold Coast a few months later.
GOLD COAST BLAZE
2010/11
On 12 February 2011, Majok signed with the Gold Coast Blaze for the rest of the 2010/11 season as an injury replacement for Mark Worthington. On 22 March 2011, just days before the Gold Coast’s final home game of the 2010–11 NBL season against the Adelaide 36ers, Majok was released by the club so that he could advance his preparations and seek out training-camp opportunities in the United States prior to the 2011 NBA draft. In 6 games for the Blaze, he averaged 2.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. Gold Coast would go on to finish in sixth place (13-15).
NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS
2019/20
In 2019/20, Majok averaged 1.7 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.5 assists as the Breakers finished in sixth place (15-13).
Ater Majok played three seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Gold Coast Blaze, Perth Wildcats and New Zealand Breakers. He averaged 3.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 24 NBL games.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 32 | New Zealand | 15-13 (6) | 10 | 71.2 | 17 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 16 | 6 | 12 | 50% | 0 | 1 | 0% | 5 | 6 | 83% | 57% | 50% | 8 |
| 2010-11 | 23 | Gold Coast | 13-15 (6) | 6 | 62.0 | 17 | 14 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 6 | 16 | 38% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 5 | 12 | 42% | 39% | 38% | 7 |
| 2010-11 | 23 | Perth | 16-12 (3) | 8 | 110.0 | 60 | 22 | 3 | 12 | 10 | 4 | 16 | 6 | 16 | 21 | 41 | 51% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 18 | 23 | 78% | 58% | 51% | 11 | Totals | 24 | 243 | 94 | 51 | 9 | 22 | 29 | 4 | 26 | 20 | 48 | 33 | 69 | 47.8% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 28 | 41 | 68.3% | 54% | 48% | 11 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 32 | New Zealand | 15-13 (6) | 10 | 7.1 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 50% | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0% | 0.5 | 0.6 | 83% | 57% | 50% | 8 |
| 2010-11 | 23 | Gold Coast | 13-15 (6) | 6 | 10.3 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 2.7 | 38% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.8 | 2.0 | 42% | 39% | 38% | 7 |
| 2010-11 | 23 | Perth | 16-12 (3) | 8 | 13.8 | 7.5 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 5.1 | 51% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 2.3 | 2.9 | 78% | 58% | 51% | 11 | Total | 24 | 10.1 | 3.9 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 2.9 | 47.8% | 0.0 | 0.0% | 0.0 | 68.3% | 54% | 48% | 11 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 11 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Parramatta (2008)
Majok joined Parramatta for the 2008 Waratah ABL Men season, appearing for the Parramatta Wildcats in the NSW state league competition.
Majok played 1 game for Parramatta in 2008 and scored 21 points, shooting 8-from-18 from the field, 8-from-16 on two-point attempts, and 5-from-6 at the free throw line.
Majok’s 2008 Parramatta stint also included 2 personal fouls in his lone Waratah ABL Men appearance.
FIBA EXPERIENCE
Majok plays internationally for the Lebanon national basketball team. He helped his country win gold at the 2022 Arab Basketball Championship in Dubai.
NBA EXPERIENCE
Ater Majok was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers with pick #58 in the 2011 NBA Draft.
Majok joined the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2012 NBA Summer League.[15] In 3 games (1 start), he averaged 1.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 15 minutes per game.NBA TRANSACTIONS:
- June 25, 2009: Traded by the Miami Heat (as a future 2011 2nd round draft pick) with cash to the Los Angeles Lakers for Patrick Beverley.
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June 23, 2011: Drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2nd round (58th pick) of the 2011 NBA Draft.
- July 7, 2016: Traded by the Los Angeles Lakers to the Chicago Bulls for José Calderón, a 2018 2nd round draft pick (Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk was later selected) and a 2019 2nd round draft pick (Bruno Fernando was later selected).
- September 1, 2017: Traded by the Chicago Bulls to the New Orleans Pelicans for Quincy Pondexter, cash considerations and a 2018 2nd round draft pick (Tony Carr was later selected).
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Turkey - FMV Işık Okulları (2010) | Slovakia - BK SPU Nitra (2011–2012) | Israel - Maccabi Tel Aviv (2012) | Belarus - BC Tsmoki-Minsk (2012–2013) | South Korea - KCC Egis (2013) | Taiwan - Taiwan Beer (2013) | Germany - BG Göttingen (2013–2014) | Poland - Trefl Sopot (2015–2016) | China - Beijing Eastern Bucks (2016), Luoyang Zhonghe (2017), Shaanxi Xinda (2018), Shaanxi Xinda (2019) | Lebanon - Homenetmen Beirut (2016–2017), Sagesse Club (2017–2018), Champville SC (2018–2019), Beirut Club (2021), Al Riyadi Beirut (2022–2023), Sagesse Club (2023–2024), Sagesse Club (2025) | Bahrain - Al-Muharraq (2018) | Tunisia - US Monastir (2020–2021), Ezzahra Sports (2021–2022), US Monastir (2022), US Monastir (2024) | Qatar - Al-Arabi (2020–2021) | Venezuela - Piratas de La Guaira (2022), Trotamundos de Carabobo (2025) | Angola - Petro de Luanda (2023) | Rwanda - Patriots BBC (2023) | Libya - Al Ahly Benghazi (2023–2024) | Mexico - Mineros de Zacatecas (2024) | Kenya - Nairobi City Thunder (2024–2025) | Iraq - Zakho (2024–2025) | Senegal - ASC Ville de Dakar (2025) | Burundi - Urunani (2025–2026) | United Arab Emirates - Shabab Al Ahli (2025–2026) | Indonesia - Rajawali Medan (2026)
Majok joined FMV Işık Okulları for the 2010 Turkish second division season, playing his first season in Turkey, and averaged 13.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocks in 28.3 minutes across seven games before leaving after his two-month contract expired.
Majok joined BK SPU Nitra for the 2011–12 Slovakian Extraliga season and averaged 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 1.4 assists in 41 league games while winning the Slovakia Cup in 2012.
Majok signed a short-term deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv in September 2012 but left Israel one month later before appearing in an official game.
Majok joined BC Tsmoki-Minsk in November 2012 for the rest of the 2012–13 season in Belarus, averaging 4.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 13 VTB United League games while winning the Belarusian Premier League and Belarusian Cup in 2013.
Majok signed with KCC Egis on 3 September 2013 for the 2013–14 Korean Basketball League season and was released on 29 October 2013 after 12 games.
Majok signed with Taiwan Beer on 30 October 2013 but was released on 12 November 2013 before appearing in an official game.
Majok joined BG Göttingen on 30 December 2013 for the rest of the 2013–14 German ProA season and averaged 4.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 23 games as Göttingen won the 2014 German second division title.
Majok signed with Trefl Sopot on 1 September 2015 for the 2015–16 Polish Basketball League season and averaged 9.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 27 games.
Majok joined Beijing Eastern Bucks in May 2016 for the Chinese National Basketball League season and was later recognised as Chinese NBL Defensive Player of the Year in 2016.
Majok signed with Homenetmen Beirut on 21 October 2016 for the 2016–17 Lebanese Basketball League season and won the 2017 Henri Chalhoub Tournament while also receiving Lebanese citizenship in 2017.
Majok joined Luoyang Zhonghe in June 2017 for the Chinese National Basketball League season and recorded 24 points, 20 rebounds and seven blocks in his first game, a 138–123 loss to Anhui Wenyi.
Majok signed with Sagesse Club in October 2017 for the 2017–18 Lebanese Basketball League season.
Majok joined Al-Muharraq in Bahrain during 2018 before moving back to China later that year.
Majok signed with Shaanxi Xinda in June 2018 for the Chinese National Basketball League season and helped the club win the 2018 Chinese NBL title while also earning Chinese NBL Defensive Player of the Year honours.
Majok signed with Champville SC in Lebanon on August 16, 2018 for the 2018–19 Lebanese Basketball League season.
Majok returned to Shaanxi Xinda for the 2019 Chinese National Basketball League season and was named Chinese NBL Defensive Player of the Year for the third time.
Majok signed with US Monastir in February 2020 for the 2020 Basketball Africa League season, but the competition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and he was later recognised as Tunisian League Best Foreign Player while US Monastir won the 2020 Tunisian League title.
Majok signed with Al-Arabi on 20 August 2020 for the 2020–21 Qatari Basketball League season.
Majok remained with US Monastir for the 2021 Basketball Africa League season and averaged 8.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 2.0 blocks in six BAL games as the club also won the 2021 Tunisian League title.
Majok signed with Beirut Club on August 30, 2021 for the 2021 Lebanese Basketball League season.
Majok joined Ezzahra Sports in October 2021 for the 2021–22 Tunisian season.
Majok was named to US Monastirs roster on March 2, 2022 for the 2022 Basketball Africa League season and averaged 13.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.4 blocks in eight BAL games as Monastir won the 2022 BAL title, with Majok named BAL Defensive Player of the Year, All-BAL First Team and BAL All-Defensive First Team.
Majok joined Piratas de La Guaira in June 2022 for the Venezuelan SuperLiga season.
Majok joined Al Riyadi Beirut for the 2022–23 Lebanese Basketball League season.
Majok signed with Petro de Luanda in March 2023 for the 2023 Basketball Africa League season and averaged 8.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.8 blocks in eight BAL games as Petro finished fourth and Majok earned BAL All-Defensive First Team honours.
Majok joined Patriots BBC in August 2023 for the remainder of the Rwanda Basketball League season.
Majok signed with Al Ahly Benghazi in September 2023 for the 2023–24 season and averaged 9.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.6 blocks in Road to BAL play.
Majok returned to Sagesse Club for the 2023–24 Lebanese Basketball League season and averaged 5.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in four league games, while also averaging 3.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in four FIBA WASL West Asia League games.
Majok returned to US Monastir in May 2024 for the 2024 Basketball Africa League season and averaged 8.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in eight BAL games while earning BAL All-Defensive Second Team honours and helping the club win the 2024 Tunisian League title.
Majok joined Mineros de Zacatecas in 2024 for the Mexican LNBP season and averaged 7.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 32 games.
Majok signed with Nairobi City Thunder in October 2024 for the 2024–25 season and averaged 9.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists in five Road to BAL games as the club became the first Kenyan team to qualify for the BAL.
Majok played for Sagesse Club in the 2025 FIBA WASL West Asia League and averaged 9.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists in four games.
Majok joined Zakho during the 2024–25 Iraqi Superleague season and appeared in one game, recording three points, three rebounds and one block in 21 minutes.
Majok joined ASC Ville de Dakar for the 2025 Basketball Africa League season and averaged 12.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 0.8 blocks in six BAL games.
Majok signed with Trotamundos de Carabobo on May 18, 2025 for the Venezuelan SuperLiga season and averaged 12.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.5 blocks in 10 games.
Majok joined Urunani on July 15, 2025 for the Burundian VBL season.
Majok signed with Shabab Al Ahli for the 2025–26 FIBA WASL Gulf League season and averaged 10.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists across two games.
Majok joined Rajawali Medan for the 2026 Indonesian Basketball League season and averaged 13.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.7 steals across 15 games.
COLLEGE
Majok sat out during the 2008/09 season because he was not cleared to play by the NCAA, and after months of eligibility paperwork he was cleared to enroll at Connecticut on January 21, 2009.
In January 2009, Majok joined the UConn roster and was eligible to practice with the squad for the remainder of the season, but was not able to play in games, and UConn noted he could sit on the bench for home games in street clothes but could not travel with the team.
In April 2009, he declared for the 2009 NBA Draft and did not sign with an agent, keeping his college eligibility intact if he withdrew by the NCAA deadline, and he later chose to withdraw his name before the draft and returned to UConn.
Majok became eligible for game action at the conclusion of the Fall semester in 2009, and UConn reported his debut came against Central Florida on December 20, 2009.
On 20 December 2009, Majok made his debut with the Huskies, scoring one point and collecting three rebounds in 16 minutes of action as a starter, and contemporaneous reporting noted he had missed the team’s first eight games before becoming eligible for that contest.
In 2009/10, he played in 26 games and made 22 starts for the Huskies, averaging 2.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game, while also totaling 42 blocks across the season.
His season totals included 59 points, 79 rebounds, and 21 fouls in 383 minutes, and his role grew after he entered the lineup, with UConn’s game-by-game notes tracking him as a starter from his first appearance.
In September 2010, Majok announced that he was leaving Connecticut, though the reasons as to why remain unclear, and he later said publicly that leaving was not his choice.
AWARDS
- BAL champion (2022)
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BAL Defensive Player of the Year (2022)
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All-BAL First Team (2022)
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2× BAL All-Defensive Team (2022, 2023)
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Chinese NBL champion (2018)
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3× Chinese NBL Defensive Player of the Year (2016, 2018, 2019)
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Henri Chalhoub Tournament champion (2017)
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German Second League champion (2014)
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Belarus League champion (2013)
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Slovakia Cup champion (2012)
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2× Tunisian League champion (2020, 2021)
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Tunisian League Best Foreign Player (2020)
Related
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