Australian-Sudanese NBA player, Thon Maker, was forced to endure a nervous flight home following the Milwaukee Bucks away fixture against the Toronto Raptors in Canada this week after his country of birth was included in President Trump's travel ban. Thon, who is in his rookie year with the Milwaukee Bucks, was born in Wau, Sudan (now Independent South Sudan), which is one of the seven banned countries (along with Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen). Thankfully he was allowed back into the USA using his Australian passport.When civil war broke out in Sudan, Thon, then aged five, and his younger brother Matur, were able to escape to a Ugandan refugee camp with the help of their uncle who was a local administrator. They were eventually accepted as refugees by Australia, resettling in Perth in 2002. Thon was scouted as a 14 year old whereupon he moved to Sydney and turned out for the St George Basketball association during 2011. He obviously went ham and destroyed the competition before trying his hand at a talent camp in Texas later that year, so beginning his ascension through the US school and college system.In 2016 he was drafted to the Milwaukee Bucks NBA franchise. He was measured as the third-tallest player without shoes at 6'11.75 at the Draft Combine that year and also recorded the highest no-step vertical jump (32") of any player over 6'11" in NBA Draft Combine history.Thon has been given limited game time thus far in his rookie year, averaging just 5.1 minutes per game and 2.5 points. He scored eight points and grabbed two rebounds in his eight minutes in Friday night's 102-86 loss at Toronto.
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