JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia) - As his cousin, Makur Maker sure knows how strong of a force Thon was during the previous FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) season.
"He dominated the league," said the 6'11" (2.11 M) slotman, who's about three years younger than the former NBA lottery pick. "And, he won the championship."
Thon was without a doubt one of the best players in the pan-regional competition's second edition, coming in hungry for gold after falling just short of doing so when Kuwait Club bowed to Manama in the inaugural Final 8 in Dubai back in 2023.
The towering big man joined Al Riyadi and he made his intentions of winning clear. He first helped the Lebanese powerhouse secure a back-to-back in the WASL-West Asia League by beating Shahrdary Gorgan in the best-of-3 series that went the distance.
He then upped the ante come the Final 8 2024 in Qatar, leading the Yellow Castle to a mighty five-game sweep of the tournament - capped by a thrilling come-from-behind 100-90 overtime win over Sagesse in the Final - to bag home the coveted prize.
And to top it all off, Maker deservingly copped Most Valuable Player honors behind averages of 18.8 points on 50.4 percent shooting from the field, 8.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 3.2 blocks per contest, writing his name in league history as its first-ever recipient.
It's worth noting, too, that he helped Al Riyadi to another golden run in the Basketball Champions League Asia weeks after that to become its inaugural winners.
Makur, of course, knows all about that, precisely why he dreams of his very own moment now that it is his turn to play in WASL through the Ittihad Club.
"Will try to do the same," he said. "Win a championship for Ittihad, and bring a championship to this city. That's the no. 1 goal, so I just go out there and fight."
The 23-year-old has only been with the esteemed Saudi Arabian ball club since last September yet he's already setting lofty expectations, especially for himself.
That's because at his age, he's already been exposed to high-level competition by playing in various parts of the globe. He began his pro career in 2021 with the Sydney Kings in the NBL under the Next Stars program, then won the title by season's end.
His journey soon took him to the NBA ecosystem. Undrafted in 2022, he would be able to snare opportunities in the G-League, beginning with the Capital City Go Go and then with the Raptors 905 just last season.
The summer of 2023 also saw him take his talents to China for a short stint, when he signed with the Liaoning Arctic Wolves of the country's own NBL.
It has been quite a trip in the three years he's playing professionally - and a solid testament, too, to how brave Makur is, particularly in betting on himself.
He was a consensus five-star high school talent of the 2020 class in the States, who would become the highest-ranked recruit in the modern recruiting era to commit to a historically black college or university (HBCU) when he joined Howard University.
That's why it should no longer come as a surprise that Makur wants to achieve the highest of successes in WASL, for he's learned what it takes to triumph.
He's off to a good start toward that goal after Ittihad Club started their WASL journey on a strong note by beating Al Arabi at home, 86-64, in a duel between Gulf League debutants witnessed by a solid crowd at the Green Basketball Court.
Maker himself played a key role in their balanced attack, finishing with 10 points and 5 rebounds plus a pair of assists and a steal in 14 minutes as a starter.
He was glad not only with the way they began the season but with the improvement he saw based on how they played during their tuneup games prior. Still, he chooses to remain on an even keel, as Ittihad want to take it step by step in this campaign.
"It was a good win. Definitely what we needed," said Maker as a total of five players scored in twin digits. "The last couple of games, we came out with a slow start. So today we tried to really emphasize on playing defense, and just being more dominant.
"It was a good win in front of the fans, but we still have a lot to work on," added the lanky big, who's set to turn 24 on November 4. "Plenty more wins to come."
FIBA