POLL: Thon Maker's Age. What is it?

[mcfromage]

If a bunch of you guys want to believe that passport, that's cool. I've also seen pretty realistic McLovin driver's licenses out there as well. And some pretty damn good WI fake DL's used in years past by college kids to get into bars. You think Ed Smith isn't capable of getting ahold of some interesting fake documentation?

Prove to me that he wasn't in grades 9-12 at Aranmore School from 2006-2010. Prove to me that the photos of him at the girls graduation party in 2010 weren't him. There is a lot of smoke there at Aranmore. Douse it for me guys.

He's the younger cousin of 21 year old proffesional footballer Aliir Aliir.

Are you saying Aliir Aliir's documents are all forged/corrupted too?

I'd ask that you prove to us what age he was while in grades 9 - 12 at Aranmore from 2006 - 2010. That seems like the key point and impossible to answer.

[Carlton Blue]

It is pretty laughable that there are people commenting here who would make you think our Government(Australia) does no researching or screening of refugees who applying for refugee status.

When you read posts that suggest they just "guessed his age" I wonder if those guys are simply below par stand up comedians trying on their routine or they actually believe what they are saying.

[hege53190]

OK...Now that the rational people can agree that he is 23, can someone please explain to me how this is not a big deal?

Because he's not 23. Simples.

Like I said.... Now that the rational people can agree that he is 23. If you can't come to that conclusion with the overwhelming evidence. I don't know if there is any use continuing the conversation.

[Carlton Blue]

If a bunch of you guys want to believe that passport, that's cool. I've also seen pretty realistic McLovin driver's licenses out there as well. And some pretty damn good WI fake DL's used in years past by college kids to get into bars. You think Ed Smith isn't capable of getting ahold of some interesting fake documentation?

Prove to me that he wasn't in grades 9-12 at Aranmore School from 2006-2010. Prove to me that the photos of him at the girls graduation party in 2010 weren't him. There is a lot of smoke there at Aranmore. Douse it for me guys.

He's the younger cousin of 21 year old proffesional footballer Aliir Aliir.

Are you saying Aliir Aliir's documents are all forged/corrupted too?

I'd ask that you prove to us what age he was while in grades 9 - 12 at Aranmore from 2006 - 2010. That seems like the key point and impossible to answer.

I don't need to do that. His 21 year old cousin who is a profesional atheltes in Australia has zero age questionability hanging over his head, he is Thon's older cousin. He was older than Thon we Thon arrived in Australia and he's still older than him today.

Why would you take the word of a silly reddit post over the Australian Football League, The Australian Government and the story of a refugee who would have been vetted on application to apply for refugree status?

The fact you think a photo of a kid at a "graduation party" relates in any way to a persons age out here makes me laugh out loud.

[Bernman]

What's the oldest picture we have of Thon involving basketball? I thought there was one of him amid kids from year 9 in '07, which would mean he has 9 years of experience, when he was selling 5 or 6. Curious how inexperienced he really is. Playing basketball for 9 years wouldn't be inexperienced. That would be like, in the days of yesteryear when kids could come straight out of high school, if a kid started playing organized in 3rd or 4th grade. Nobody would say he's inexperienced for his age. Larry was considered inexperienced for a collegiate, and he only had 6 seasons in when drafted. He wouldn't be inexperienced in any other way really but not going to a year of college in between.

[M-C-G]

Haven't read everything but it appears the rabbit trail worked by the Bucks.

It isn't necessary to believe the passport is fake. It isn't necessary to believe Thon lied about his age to immigration or at any other point.

There was a story linked in the other thread of another refugee who had her age incorrectly recorded at immigration. It was way off and if I remember correctly she could never get the government to correct it.

Is it so hard to believe Thon's age was incorrectly reported at as a refugee through immigration? No lies or conspiracy but just an honest mistake by someone.

At school they recognize his biological age is off compared to his documented age so they place him in the class they estimate his real age to be. Still, no shenanigans and just trying to do what is best for the kid.

Thon completes high school in 2010 at who knows what age (except we know what the recorded legal age would be).

Thon gets hooked up with Ed Smith. Ed Smith Discovers Thon's legal age is low enough that he can pull some shenanigans to get him to start high school all over again in another country. No legal docs need to even be altered to do so.

Thon attends high school for a second time.

I know the evidence supports two clear things:

1. Legally, Thon is 19.
2. Thon repeated high school after originally graduated in 2010.

I don't think anyone can reasonably argue those two points.

So call him whatever age you want. There really isn't anything more to add or anything else that will come of this. Just an odd situation and it is impressive we figured out those 2 above truths.

This is all reasonable, but can we acknowledge that the "high school" and curriculum he likely had in Australia wasn't the same as a traditional US high school, and he was more likely there in some type of transition or prep school fashion?

I think too many people are hung up on the going through high school twice and attach a sinister motive behind it, that may not be fair. I also don't think the "Athlete Institute" for two years qualifies as a normal high school experience. So people stating that he went to high school twice, just seems like a bit of a stretch given what he likely was studying. Minimum acknowledge that it was very likely different levels of education.

Like I have said from the beginning, I think he is 21 and I think there is a good chance he even doesn't know it.

I thought this was possible for awhile. But Lasry has ignored every direct question about it while answering others. Hammond stumbled through his answers on Thon's age. This has been out for days now and the Bucks or Thon have not offered a real and reasonable explanation. Websites started disappearing and they stopped Cine from investigating. Plus all of the testimony from the people of Perth. Have yet to hear someone from Perth say Thon isn't lying about his age.

We really aren't going to go in circles again right?

It's been days(weeks maybe?) now since Clay and Peppers have been accused of using PEDs too. To be frank, I am not sure if they did it or not, but when it is just conjecture and speculation, it doesn't really do them any good to even address it. How is this different?

As for the testimony, I am sure there was a "direct" source that knew him, but 90% of what I saw as a first hand witness was a guy that knew a guy. If you couple that with the notion that he may have been up a year or two from his documented age, is it any surprise that these second hand sources just assumed he was that age? Without really having any idea what was really going on?

I don't get how speculation in one direction means that the onus is on Thon to refute, but the speculation the other way is just hearsay, especially when the burden of proof is overwhelmingly on the people using a yearbook and second hand testimonials to incriminate Thon.

Websites may have started "disappearing" because people were being nuts investigating a minor too, I have no idea.

So I guess we will keep going in circles if you want, or you can accept that my speculation is no better and no worse than your speculation. I think for whatever reason, timing, sports, intelligence, physical size, who knows, he was something like two grades ahead of his actual age. I think his actual age may very likely been two years higher than his documented age. And at the end of the day, I feel like 21 is probably spot on, same as I have always thought with him.

[M-C-G]

Haven't read everything but it appears the rabbit trail worked by the Bucks.

It isn't necessary to believe the passport is fake. It isn't necessary to believe Thon lied about his age to immigration or at any other point.

There was a story linked in the other thread of another refugee who had her age incorrectly recorded at immigration. It was way off and if I remember correctly she could never get the government to correct it.

Is it so hard to believe Thon's age was incorrectly reported at as a refugee through immigration? No lies or conspiracy but just an honest mistake by someone.

At school they recognize his biological age is off compared to his documented age so they place him in the class they estimate his real age to be. Still, no shenanigans and just trying to do what is best for the kid.

Thon completes high school in 2010 at who knows what age (except we know what the recorded legal age would be).

Thon gets hooked up with Ed Smith. Ed Smith Discovers Thon's legal age is low enough that he can pull some shenanigans to get him to start high school all over again in another country. No legal docs need to even be altered to do so.

Thon attends high school for a second time.

I know the evidence supports two clear things:

1. Legally, Thon is 19.
2. Thon repeated high school after originally graduated in 2010.

I don't think anyone can reasonably argue those two points.

So call him whatever age you want. There really isn't anything more to add or anything else that will come of this. Just an odd situation and it is impressive we figured out those 2 above truths.

This is all reasonable, but can we acknowledge that the "high school" and curriculum he likely had in Australia wasn't the same as a traditional US high school, and he was more likely there in some type of transition or prep school fashion?

I think too many people are hung up on the going through high school twice and attach a sinister motive behind it, that may not be fair. I also don't think the "Athlete Institute" for two years qualifies as a normal high school experience. So people stating that he went to high school twice, just seems like a bit of a stretch given what he likely was studying. Minimum acknowledge that it was very likely different levels of education.

Like I have said from the beginning, I think he is 21 and I think there is a good chance he even doesn't know it.

Nope. Every other person from that class that I researched went to college or straight in the market following graduation.

Out of curiosity how many of the Sudanese refugees where there, and how many did the same?

[M-C-G]

When you read posts that suggest they just "guessed his age" I wonder if those guys are simply below par stand up comedians trying on their routine or they actually believe what they are saying.

That is not country specific or specific to this situation. I posted an article about the US doing the same thing, and we had somebody post some comments about a friend working for Australian immigration, which said that is what happens when the immigrants have no idea of their birthday or what year they were born and obviously no paperwork.

[Nycballa2k]

so why aren't we talking about the passport pick? Or are we still whining that we wasted a #10 pick?

[M-C-G]

What's the oldest picture we have of Thon involving basketball? I thought there was one of him amid kids from year 9 in '07, which would mean he has 9 years of experience, when he was selling 5 or 6. Curious how inexperienced he really is. Playing basketball for 9 years wouldn't be inexperienced. That would be like, in the days of yesteryear when kids could come straight out of high school, if a kid started playing organized in 3rd or 4th grade. Nobody would say he's inexperienced for his age. Larry was considered inexperienced for a collegiate, and he only had 6 seasons in when drafted. He wouldn't be inexperienced in any other way really but not going to a year of college in between.

Yeah, I had the same question and then went back and looked what he actually said, and it was something along the lines (I don't have it in front of me and I am obviously not quoting but) since I started training seriously, or thought the NBA was a possibility...there was some context he added around it, but don't recall exactly what it was. Essentially, it was when he went to that St. Georgia academy is when that clock started ticking.

[midranger]

I just wonder how people thought Thon got into this country without a passport, and subsequently repeated 8th grade without that passport showing he was 14.

Don't know, but I assumed he carried some such documentation from Australia. Literally couldn't have gotten here without it.

That doesn't change the fact he took 10 years to graduate high school twice.

[Kerrsed]

so why aren't we talking about the passport pick? Or are we still whining that we wasted a #10 pick?

Passport was obtained after he linked up with Smith and is being provided by Sky Smith who also happens to work for the Athletic Institute AKA The last place that he played ball in Canada, so they would have something to lose if it turned out they were using a 21-23 year old in their games.

But once again, the fact that he had/has a passport that says he is 19 was never in questioned. We already knew that.

[DRK]

Would be interesting to see if there are academic awards/records in the high school that Thon went to after he completed his stint at Aranmore.

He wouldve destroyed lower grade high school (like year 8 maths) if he was doing it a second time around, and already after being exposed to year 12 maths.

[FlagsFlyForever]

I just wonder how people thought Thon got into this country without a passport, and subsequently repeated 8th grade without that passport showing he was 14.

Don't know, but I assumed he carried some such documentation from Australia. Literally couldn't have gotten here without it.

I don't think anybody thinks he didn't have a passport. The question is if the birthdate on his passport is legit.

[Erifee]

That doesn't change the fact he took 10 years to graduate high school twice.

That's not a fact. Do you have the transcripts?

[midranger]

That doesn't change the fact he took 10 years to graduate high school twice.

That's not a fact. Do you have the transcripts?

There is pictorial evidence placing him in each grade through the years. WTF is this guy talking about?

[FlagsFlyForever]

What's the oldest picture we have of Thon involving basketball? I thought there was one of him amid kids from year 9 in '07, which would mean he has 9 years of experience, when he was selling 5 or 6. Curious how inexperienced he really is. Playing basketball for 9 years wouldn't be inexperienced. That would be like, in the days of yesteryear when kids could come straight out of high school, if a kid started playing organized in 3rd or 4th grade. Nobody would say he's inexperienced for his age. Larry was considered inexperienced for a collegiate, and he only had 6 seasons in when drafted. He wouldn't be inexperienced in any other way really but not going to a year of college in between.

[FlagsFlyForever]

That doesn't change the fact he took 10 years to graduate high school twice.

That's not a fact. Do you have the transcripts?

What is your timeline of his academic history by year?

[Dr Positivity]

I don't think the passport changes much... even before considering it's coming from someone with an incentive for Thon to be 19 in Sky Smith. The only weird thing about is if the age truther theory was correct, the timeline is that they had guessed Thon's age to be 92-ish and then by 09 his handler came up with documentation suddenly saying he was 97 born, then it means after that point the school let a 12 year old stay in Grade 12 anyways instead of immediately moving him down? The passport if it's real combined with yearbook, confirms that Thon was both legally 12 and in Grade 12 for a whole year basically

[hege53190]

That doesn't change the fact he took 10 years to graduate high school twice.

That's not a fact. Do you have the transcripts?

Yeah. Because 4 years of year book pages and facebook pages/pictures of random classmates who are all 23 now from the first time he graduated in 2010 isn't enough evidence.

I want a really difficult to obtain document. Oh you can't get it? He has to be 19. It totally makes sense that an 11 year old refugee from a worn torn country would go to school with 15 year olds. Believe it.