BIO: Majok Deng was born in born in Bor, South Sudan and spent the first seven to eight years of his life in the country.

He moved to Australia in 2006 after spending a number of years living in a Kenyan refugee camp, settling in Adelaide with his mother and sister.

Was mentored by his Forestville Eagles teammate, former NBL star Rashad Tucker.

Deng In 2016, Deng returned from college and joined the Adelaide 36ers.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Majok Deng made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 23 years of age. He scored 13 points in his first game.

In the 2016 NBL off-season, the 36ers managed to retain superstar Jerome Randle as well as sign promising young prospects Anthony Drmic, the younger brother of former NBL player Frank Drmic, Sudanese born local Majok Deng and import forward/centre Eric Jacobsen. Also joining the club was NBA Draft prospect 18-year-old high school star Terrance Ferguson from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ferguson, who chose to play as a professional in the NBL rather than commit to playing college basketball, was the test case that led to the NBL creating the Next Stars Program.

While most experts predicted the young and relatively inexperienced 36ers to finish last, by mid-season, they had emerged as the team to beat. Early season injuries to captain Mitch Creek (ankle) and Daniel Johnson (hamstring) saw Adelaide start the season slowly (3-6), the low point being a brutal loss to Brisbane (87-105) in Round 7 that resulted in them dropping to the bottom of the ladder. With a healthy roster, Adelaide would do a 180 and defeat Brisbane (101-83) comfortably in the very next game and proceed to reel off a eight-game winning streak, and by round 11, they had gone from last place to first. By round 16, they had won 14 of their last 15 games and locked in first place with three more rounds to go. In fact, they were so far ahead of the rest of the league, even with the 36ers losing their final four games of the regular season, they still finished two games ahead of the rest of the competition, where they would finish the regular season (17-11).

Sobey (15.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.0 steals), in his second year in Adelaide, made the most of Creek’s absence, establishing himself as a player worthy of major minutes. Sobey moved into the starting lineup in Creek’s absence and tripled his scoring numbers from last season (4 points in 10 minutes per game) and remained in the starting lineup even after Creek’s return. Sobey’s improvement earned him a spot on the All-NBL Second Team and the league’s Most Improved Player award.

After Deng’s breakout debut game, he struggled to return to that form and was only able to score in double figures just three more times that season. Deng averaged 4.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 9.2 minutes in 27 games for the 36ers. Randle (21.3 points, 3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists) who led the team in scoring before being named the NBL’s Most Valuable Player, becoming just the second 36ers player to be named MVP (Mark Davis in 1987). Additionally Daniel Johnson (15.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game) would lead the team in rebounds, and Nathan Sobey was awarded NBL’s Most Improved Player award after increasing his production from 4 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist in 10 minutes per game to become the 36ers third option on offense, finishing the season with averages of 15.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assist in 28 minutes per game.

Adelaide faced fourth-placed Illawarra in the semifinals, and although they easily accounted for them in game one (93-78), thanks to a MVP calibre performance from Randle (26 points and 4 assists), the Hawks would cause a huge upset, winning games two (100–94) and three (106-98) to end the 36ers season prematurely.

2017/18
With the 36ers’ roster proving it had what it takes to contend the championship, coach Joey Wright locked in all eight Australian players (Mitch Creek, Nathan Sobey, Daniel Johnson, Matthew Hodgson, Brendan Teys, Majok Deng, Anthony Drmic and Adam Doyle) and looked to go one step further. One notable absence from the roster was star US import Jerome Randle, who reportedly had asked for $300k per season, which was far outside what Adelaide or other NBL team’s were able to pay. Randle then chose to play in Turkey with Bahçeşehir instead of staying in Adelaide, and the team replaced him with experienced guard, Shannon Shorter.

Philadelphian shooting guard Ramone Moore (via Melbourne) and athletic forward Ronald Roberts were signed as the team’s other two imports, completing the roster.

In mid-September 2017, the 36ers travelled to Singapore in the pre-season to compete in the Merlion Cup. The team remained undefeated throughout the tournament and defeated the Shanghai Sharks in the final to be crowned the 2017 Merlion Cup Champions.

Import woes began early in the season for Adelaide. It began with import Ronald Roberts who was released a week before the season tipped off with the team citing the big man had suffered a ‘knee injury’ although Roberts responded via Twitter stating he’s ‘100 percent fine’. Veteran forward Alan Wiggins was signed as a replacement for Roberts, but he suffered a broken arm in his NBL debut against the Sydney Kings. With Wiggins requiring surgery and set to miss eight weeks, the team signed former Sydney Kings star Josh Childress.

Despite the import roller-coaster, the Sixers impressed on the road early but struggled to string consistent performances together, winning half of their first 16 games. It was around this time Randle, who had left Turkey claiming he hadn’t been paid his salary on time, enquired about returning to the 36ers, but with the team being already finalised, Randle instead signed with the Sydney Kings as a replacement for import guard Travis Leslie.

Injuries crippled the 36ers over the next month. Both Creek, who was ruled out for three weeks on December 12 2017, after tearing a small muscle from the bone from his hamstring and then Drmic (6.6 points and 2.7 rebounds), after a medial collateral ligament sprain in his left knee, would spend the next three weeks alongside him.

A disappointing 19-point loss against the Cairns Taipans at home on Christmas Eve summed up the Sixers start to the season. This loss, however, seemed to be the turning point for the Sixers, who went on to win 10 of their last 12 games, including seven in a row, and booked themselves a second spot on the ladder at the end of the regular season. Deng appeared in 35 games and finished with averages of 7.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.5 assists.

in the semifinals, Adelaide would make short work of third-ranked Perth, defeating the Wildcats 109–74 in game one, the second biggest finals loss in Wildcats’ history. The 36ers rebounded in game two (89–88), defeating defeated Perth behind the stellar play of Josh Childress (25 points and 10 rebounds).

A grand final series against Melbourne came next, where United’s Casper Ware (20 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists) erupted in the first half of game one before exiting the game with a hip injury. United’s Chris Goulding would then step up with a impressive shooting display (26 points) to propel Melbourne to victory (107-96) at Hisense Arena. Daniel Johnson (18 points) and Mitch Creek (14 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists) finished as the 36ers leading scorers.

In game two, Adelaide came out with a bang with Majok Deng (18 points) leading the team in scoring. Mitch Creek and Ramone Moore (both 17 points) also stepped up as the 36ers tied the series (110-95). Casey Prather (20 points) and Chris Goulding (19 points) finishing as United’s best on court.

The 36ers’ win came at a cost however, with import Josh Childress (13 points and 8 rebounds), going down with a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter which would keep him out of the remaining Grand Final games.

The series returned to Melbourne for game three, where tensions exploded at the end of the first half, Adelaide’s Nathan Sobey clashing heads with Casey Prather after the United import hit a three-pointer on the stroke of halftime. The Adelaide guard was called for a disqualifying foul and ejected from the match. There was further drama at the end of the game with players from both team’s needing to be separated after the final buzzer. The incident also resulted in 36ers head coach Joey Wright being fined handsomely for questioning the integrity of the referees.

When the smoke settled, United won a tightly fought contest over the 36ers (101-98) after Adelaide’s Majok Deng missed a game-tying three-pointer in the final seconds. Casper Ware (25 points), Prather (23 points) and Chris Goulding (15 points), who hit three clutch triples to take control of the game, were among United’s best.

Game four saw Adelaide swingman Nathan Sobey (16 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists), who was ejected in game three for his part in the halftime melee, lead the way for the 36ers in the first half with the scoreboard reading 55-31 at the halfway mark. Again the home team was victorious, Adelaide getting a comfortable win over Melbourne United (90-81). Johnson (29 points and 10 rebounds) and Prather (23 points) top scoring for their respective sides.

In the deciding game five, Goulding, Ware (both 23 points) and Prather (19 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 steals) came to play and Melbourne defeated Adelaide (100-82) in front of a sold-out crowd at Hisense Arena, winning their first title since rebranding from the Tigers. Shannon Shorter (20 points) led Adelaide in scoring, while Chris Goulding was named Finals MVP after averaging 16.6 points and 3.6 rebounds over the five-game series. With the win, Prather collected his third NBL championship to become the first player in NBL history to win three straight titles in his first three seasons in the league.

2018/19
During the NBL 2018 off-season, Creek was given team approval to play in Germany with the understanding he would return to the 36ers for the 2018/19 season.

Prior to returning from Germany, Creek’s play caught the eyes of a number of NBA team’s, and instead of returning to Adelaide he agreed to play with the Long Island Nets under coach Will Weaver who was also coaching Creek as part of the Australian national team at that time.

The Adelaide 36ers filed a injunction to stop Basketball Australia from approving any potential deal allowing Creek to sign with a NBA team without compensation for his contract and time spent developing him as a player. The decision to file the injunction led to a mountain of criticism, but ultimately the two reached a resolution allowing him to fulfil his NBA dream.

After narrowly missing out on the NBL championship the season prior, Adelaide was forced to go into rebuilding mode with the loss of its second-leading scorer Creek. Import Jacob Wiley was signed as a replacement for Creek only weeks prior to the NBL season.

Diminutive point guard Adris De Leon, who had played under head coach Joey Wright at the Gold Coast Blaze, was also signed to help cover the scoring and playmaking lost with Creek heading to the NBA and rising stars Harry Froling and Jack McVeigh were signed straight out of college.

High scoring big man Daniel Johnson took over as team captain, and Nathan Sobey, Majok Deng, Adam Doyle, Brendan Teys, and import Ramone Moore all returned from last season.

Sobey would take his game to yet another new level this season. Recording career highs in both points per game and field goal percentage not to mention his Round 3 triple-double that had many people suggesting he was the league’s best Aussie player. The 36ers guard scored 22 points, pulled in 13 rebounds and dished off nine assists in the 91-83 win over the Taipans in Cairns.

After a slow start to the season (3 wins, 5 losses), combined with a calf injury to fellow import Ramone Moore, a ultimatum was delivered to De Leon that if the team couldn’t turn things around with a win over Sydney in their next game, they would look at rejigging the team’s roster.

Despite starting in the game against Sydney and putting up 11 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists in 25 minutes, the Adelaide 36ers were unable to get the win, suffering a 12 points loss to the Kings, their fourth in a row. De Leon (7.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists) was released, and former Illawarra Hawks import Demitrius Conger was signed as his replacement. With Moore still unable to take the court, Adelaide also signed Shaun Bruce, who had been unsigned after three seasons in Cairns, who then played out the remaining games of the 36ers season.

Adelaide continued their 2018/19 campaign with Daniel Johnson (17.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists) and Nathan Sobey (16.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists) leading the team in scoring. Sobey’s jump from 12.7 ppg and 2.2apg the season prior also resulted in him earning a spot on the All-NBL Second Team. Deng averaged 7.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.5 assists for the season, in what was a inconsistent season for Adelaide. On the cusp of the playoffs, the 36ers would lose their last two games of the season (to Melbourne and Perth) and finish with a 14-14 record and equal with Brisbane. With Brisbane having the higher points percentage, the Bullets advanced into the playoffs as the fourth seed while Adelaide’s season would come to a end, finishing in fifth spot.

CAIRNS TAIPANS
2019/20
On 5 April 2019, Deng signed a three-year deal with the Cairns Taipans. Deng scored a career best 22-points with the Taipans who defeated the Wildcat’s in a rare road win (Oct 18 2019) and averaged 12.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. Deng helped the Taipans finish with a record of 16-12 and end the regular season in third place.

2020/21
During the 2020/21 season, Deng started the season in the Taipans starting lineup, where played 22 games before being ruled out for six weeks with a partial tear to his left MCL (Feb 24 2021). The injury saw him miss 16 games, sitting out almost all of February to May as the Taipans struggled to find wins. Deng returned to play in the last 10 games of the season (nine of them were losses) and averaged 12 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists. Cairns would finish the season in last place with a record of 8-28.

2021/22
After recovering from injury, Deng re-signed with the Taipans on a new three-year deal (13 Jul 2021). Cairns underwent a rehaul prior to the 2021/22 season, the first move being Adam Forde replacing head coach Mike Kelly. Forde, who had spent the previous season coaching the Sydney Kings, was tasked with finding some new firepower for the Snakes after losing the team’s leading scorer Cam Oliver to the NBA the previous season.

Imports Tahjere McCall and Stephen Zimmerman were brought in, alongside Keanu Pinder (via Adelaide) and rookie Bul Kuol (Detroit Mercy) to bolster a Taipans core which already included Majok Deng, Kouat Noi, Nathan Jawai, Mirko Djeric, Jarrod Kenny and Scott Machado who was named team captain.

The Taipans struggled to generate wins all season thanks to a glut of player injuries which saw Cairns unable to field a full roster in any game that season. Despite the team’s struggles, Forde was instrumental in developing the Taipans younger talent, many whom delivered career best seasons.

Majok Deng (14.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1 assists) had his best season to date, playing in every game for the Taipans and finishing second on the team in points per game and Keanu Pinder (10.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists), went on to be named the NBL’s Most Improved Player after doubling his points and rebounds from the previous season.

Another breakout season came from Ben Ayre (6.6 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists), who joined the team originally as a unpaid training player after being recommended to the team by former 36ers coach Joey Wright. Ayre was elevated into the full-time roster as an injury replacement in April, before going on to break NBL records in his eight-game tenure. On 18 April 2022, in just his sixth appearance for the Taipans, Ayre scored a team-high 20 points to go with 10 assists, four rebounds, three steals and four three-pointers in a loss to Melbourne (80-92). The 26-year-old became just the third player in 2021/22 to record 20 points and 10 assists in a game (alongside Bryce Cotton and Jaylen Adams) and just the second Taipan in club history to register 20 points and 10 assists. Lastly, first year player Bul Kuol (10.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists), who had been told he was not guaranteed to be part of the rotation or receive any minutes, also saw injuries thrust him into the lineup and quickly became one of the Taipans’ most important players. He would be rewarded at seasons end by being named Rookie of the Year.

Scott Machado (10.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists) sustained a heel injury in round two of NBL22, missing more than six weeks with the injury. In April 2022, he re-injured his heel and missed the rest of the season. Machado and Tahjere McCall (16.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2 steals), who led the team in scoring, and assists, were selected as co-MVP’s of the team as Cairns finished in second last place (9-19).

2022/23
Adam Forde’s first season as head coach didn’t yield much on-court success, with the Taipans finishing in last place, but it did build a solid foundation that resulted in Cairns having one of their most successful seasons ever in NBL23. The club brought back leading scorer Tahjere McCall, Majok Deng, Bul Kuol, Mirko Djeric, as well as the league’s Most Improved Player Keanu Pinder.

Major departures included Kouat Noi (to Sydney) and Nathan Jawai, who, despite wanting to play another season, was not by the team or any other NBL team. Forde then replenished his roster, first signing promising big man Sam Waardenburg (3 Year Deal), who was hotly pursued by most NBL team’s yet chose to sign in Cairns after being offered a starting role. Fellow college grad Lat Mayen (Nebraska) and Jonah Antonio (Czech League) signed multi-year deals, and Ben Ayre, following a memorable stint as an injury replacement player last season, was elevated to the main roster. Imports Scott Machado and Stephen Zimmerman were replaced with DJ Hogg and Shannon Scott, and Cairns, with the youngest roster in the league, surprised everyone with some upset wins to start the season.

Picked by most to finish bottom of the ladder, Cairns opened the season by defeating grand finalists Tasmania (106-84), South East Melbourne (85-76) and the reigning champions Sydney (83-78) to start the season on a 5-1 run, their only loss being to Perth (76-105).

Round 1 #NBL23 – @CairnsTaipans at @JackJumpers
Majok Deng 26p 5r
(9/11 FG, 4/6 3P, 4/5 FT) pic.twitter.com/9QccvPe3bD

— Duncan Berg (@CoachDuncanBerg) October 3, 2022

A common Taipans’ trait this season was snapping opposition win streaks. This included snapping Brisbane’s three-game win streak in November (90-82) and ending the Kings’ record 17-game road winning streak (94-88) in a overtime thriller.

The Taipans, who had spent the majority of the season sitting in second or third position on the ladder, then lost star Keanu Pinder to a ankle injury in December. Many in the media expected the team to drop down the ladder without Pinder, where they were originally predicted to finish, but instead, Cairns went on a five-game winning streak. This included wins over Adelaide 36ers (86-83), Illawarra (96-89), Brisbane (107-81), South East Melbourne (94-85), a second win over Illawarra (89-84) and New Zealand (85-83).

During the final month of the season, Cairns lost Pinder again, this time to a eye injury which resulted in him being unable to play any postseason games. Cairns and Zealand bounced back and forth in a battle for second place across the final fortnight of the games, finishing the season off by defeating Perth (84-71). The win momentarily saw Cairns jump to second place before New Zealand responded with wins over both Brisbane and Illawarra (the competition’s bottom two), resulting in both team’s finishing with a equal record (18-10). Due to the Breakers having a higher percentage, Cairns then dropped to third place and would have to go through the NBL’s inaugural play-in tournament to reach the semi finals. Next, Cairns would face Perth with Pinder still on the sidelines. Despite this, a history making effort from DJ Hogg (32 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assist), where he score the most points ever by a Taipan in a playoff game, delivered a 91-78 victory and the chance to face Sydney as the fourth seed in the semifinals.

McCall suffered a partially dislocated shoulder in the Taipans’ Seeding Qualifier against Tasmania and, as a result, was absent from game one of his side’s Playoff Series against Sydney. Without McCall available, Xavier Cooks (27 points and 14 rebounds) was able to power the Kings home to a 95-87 win over the Taipans in the opening game before a drama-filled game two saw Kings’ coach Buford being ejected. The emotions tipped over after Noi and Waardenburg both went down after hits to the head, Cooks suffered yet another ankle injury, and Tim Soares was charged with striking. Amidst the chaos, DJ Hogg (25 points and 8 rebounds) and Tahjere McCall (20 points and 7 assists) caught fire, and Cairns took down Sydney (93-82) to force a do-or-die game three.

In the deciding game, Vasiljevic, who had been almost a non-factor in the first two games, delivered when it mattered most for the Kings landing three crucial three-pointers on his way to 15 points and five rebounds to lead Sydney in scoring. Cooks shook off his rolled ankle from game two with 11 points and 11 rebounds as the Kings locked the Taipans down on defence, holding them to their lowest team score of the season, Sydney beating Cairns 79-64 to advance to the Championship Series. Deng would appear 32 games over the course of the season, averaging 6.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game.

TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS
2023/24
Deng opted out of the second year of his deal with the Taipans, to sign with Tasmania the following season.

“We are extremely excited to add a player of Majok’s talent for the upcoming season. He is a exceptional shooter and rebounder who can play multiple positions for us. His length and athleticism will add another dimension to our frontcourt. We also really admire his competitiveness and believe he has the values and work ethic that will resonate with the people of Tasmania.” said Co-CEO Jorrick Chivers upon signing Deng.

Majok would be the final roster player signed for the 2023/24 NBL season.

Majok Deng currently plays for the Tasmania JackJumpers and has played 224 games in his NBL career. He has averaged 8.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 0.6 assists since entering the league in 2016.

CURRENT CONTRACT:

Tasmania JackJumpers – 2 Year Deal (2024-26)

Dan Boyce (798 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.