Thon Maker is at least 23 years old

[machu46]

Have any media outlets gone after this? It seems like something pretty easily proven or disproven with some minimal investigation at that first Australian HS.

The school is saying they won't release any info about it unless they have his permission due to privacy concerns.


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Which is the CORRECT thing to do..

as opposed to some who have posted names of innocent by standers online.

Absolutely agreed.


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[Slartibartfast]

This is a very serious issue. Way worse than just lying about age when obtaining a visa. This MAN's actions can absolutely not be rewarded with an NBA contract.

Looking good at a sport against high school kids at 23-24 years old is not an impressive thing. He would not have been drafted if not for his criminal actions. Take any decent athlete that is all district the first time thru school and they will look like a phenom 5 years later.

Any contracts he has signed should be void based on obvious fraud and he needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent for his actions. He tainted every basketball game he played during the last 5 years and took the draft spot and hype of a truly worthy athlete.

Of course the Bucks front office will need to stand behind Thon's age because otherwise they are shown to be incompetent. The league will stand behind Thon's age because otherwise they too look incompetent. But the evidence is overwhelming that the kid is not 19.

I think it's hard for Americans to realize how easy it is to falsify documents in other countries. In China it's super common for parents to make their kids older to get them in school faster. In African countries that have gone through war you're lucky to get anything resembling a notarized document on anyone.

I get why Thon's family would do it, doors opened up for him that never could have opened up otherwise. He had a chance to get into a western country and have a chance at the NBA. Unfortunately it's a serious legal issue if he had a girlfriend while in high school and it's shown he was actually 23.

Best of luck to Bucks fans, but you got had.

And I get why people fake disabilities and commit insurance fraud and lie about parental income to get student aid. Still should be a penalty.

[CodyB_]

He was already in Australia as well. For your everyday guy, Australia is a much nicer place to live and work than the US or Canada.The fellow who decided he was going to manipulate his age and cash in on 'raw potential' is the real dog in this scenario. He has a history of doing this as well.

While legal recourse is unlikely, the Bucks should sit down and talk to him and his family so that jerk doesn't see a dime of the Makers' money.

[stl705]

IMO - Bucks should take the blame here. This isn't a little league squad, this is a multi-billion dollar business (NBA) and how much are the Bucks worth? Maybe they're not the elite team, but they should have enough resources to investigate these types of issues and find out what's real.

Personally, if I'm a professional scout or GM in the MLB or even NBA, I would automatically add an extra year to all international players from countries known to be a little iffy on paperwork. There has been so many stories about guys being older, it's beyond a surprise these days.

Should Thon be disciplined? IDK, but it sure looks like the Bucks are looking like complete idiots with this pick. It's not like these rumors popped up, they have been discussed before the draft even happened plenty of times.

[Bernman]

IMO - Bucks should take the blame here. This isn't a little league squad, this is a multi-billion dollar business (NBA) and how much are the Bucks worth? Maybe they're not the elite team, but they should have enough resources to investigate these types of issues and find out what's real.

Personally, if I'm a professional scout or GM in the MLB or even NBA, I would automatically add an extra year to all international players from countries known to be a little iffy on paperwork. There has been so many stories about guys being older, it's beyond a surprise these days.

Should Thon be disciplined? IDK, but it sure looks like the Bucks are looking like complete idiots with this pick. It's not like these rumors popped up, they have been discussed before the draft even happened plenty of times.

Sure, the Bucks look like a laughingstock. I'll be the first to admit that as a fan. I, and many others, were of this belief long ago. And even before the age suspicion came out I thought it was a joke of a pick the way he looked when you actually watch full games of his instead of workouts or reels.

That said, of course Thon/Ed Smith should be charged with fraud, if that's what they intentionally did. Fraud is against the law, and guilty mind makes you culpable. Doesn't matter if you defraud Bill Gates or some senile old lady.

Problem would be if he's legally 19, and if Thon didn't know he was older from the time when moved from Sudan, the Bucks weren't defrauded about the age part. He would have needed to have been lying about how long he went to high school and why. But for this to come up, in all likelihood they would have needed to know about his situation, and then either they didn't care or wouldn't have drafted him.

Also, what recourse would the Bucks have at this point? There are no compensation picks in the NBA. Pandora is already out of the box for the '16 draft. Can't turn back time. Thon Maker was their pick. Better just hope he manages to be of value regardless. Declining to sign him, suing, and pressing charges hardly seems worth the burning of a top 10 pick, politically or realistically. If they were duped, or didn't do their due diligence, they kind of have to accept it now, regardless if they should.

[KyletheDingbat]

So what's the consensus here? Do the majority believe he faked it? Or that he's 19?

[GimmeDat]

https://twitter.com/Sky_Smith_/status/748228670020452352

Has this been posted here? Because this was recently posted on reddit.

[pb-ceo]

he looks 26.

[cibili]

So what's the consensus here? Do the majority believe he faked it? Or that he's 19?

This dude has graduated from the high school fuqin twice how is there even a discussion?

https://twitter.com/Sky_Smith_/status/748228670020452352

Has this been posted here? Because this was recently posted on reddit.

This is a passport he got after he graduated from the high school allegedly for the first time but not the last how can you present this as a proof? You have to refute that yearbook photos and videos that he was in the 9th grade 10 years ago. That document is obtained after the alleged fraud. If anything find some proof that he was in elementary school 10 years ago, as hard as it might be.

Seriously I don't know anything about this dude but how can you even think this contradicts what is in reddit when this aligns with the claimed timeline?

[Jagic Mohnson]

Trade him to the Rockets for Baby Maker aka Dwight.

[Kerrsed]

So what's the consensus here? Do the majority believe he faked it? Or that he's 19?

This dude has graduated from the high school fuqin twice how is there even a discussion?

https://twitter.com/Sky_Smith_/status/748228670020452352

Has this been posted here? Because this was recently posted on reddit.

This is a passport he got after he graduated from the high school allegedly for the first time but not the last how can you present this as a proof? You have to refute that yearbook photes and videos that he was in the 9th grade 10 years ago. That document is obtained after the alleged fraud. If anything find some proof that he was in elementary school 10 years ago, as hard as it might be.

Seriously I don't know anything about this dude but how can you even think this contradicts what is in reddit when this aligns with the claimed timeline?

Exactly. And the guy providing it as "Evidence" 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.

[KobeBryant24]

Trade him to the Rockets for Baby Maker aka Dwight.

You win the internet for today

[Ice Trae]

So what's the consensus here? Do the majority believe he faked it? Or that he's 19?

This dude has graduated from the high school fuqin twice how is there even a discussion?

https://twitter.com/Sky_Smith_/status/748228670020452352

Has this been posted here? Because this was recently posted on reddit.

This is a passport he got after he graduated from the high school allegedly for the first time but not the last how can you present this as a proof? You have to refute that yearbook photes and videos that he was in the 9th grade 10 years ago. That document is obtained after the alleged fraud. If anything find some proof that he was in elementary school 10 years ago, as hard as it might be.

Seriously I don't know anything about this dude but how can you even think this contradicts what is in reddit when this aligns with the claimed timeline?

not sure if it matters but it would have been during his HS years in Perth when the passport was issued. He graduated from there in 2010

[toussaud]

he's probably the oldest player in their starting lineup lol

[Wonderllama]

Maybe he'll be an All-Star in his rookie season!

#TeamPositive

[EireannX]

not sure if it matters but it would have been during his HS years in Perth when the passport was issued. He graduated from there in 2010

It doesn't matter.

If his age is legit then the passport was issued against his legitimate age at the time.
If his age isn't legit then the passport would have been issued based on visa parameters that would have been based on a fraudulent birth certificate.

In neither situation would the passport authorities have consulted his high school.

[Chalk1]

At this point the Bucks are probably all aboard the "Thon is 23" train. If it's proven that he's over 21, then he was not of eligible draft age, and the pick would be voided. The Bucks would not only be a laughing stock, but would also have completely wasted their 2016 lottery pick.

They might as well do damage control and at least hope they can see how Maker pans out.

[AcecardZ]

If I were Bucks fan I'd legit freaking pissed!

How can a team not do due diligence on a lottery pick?

Incompetence!!! Massive incompetence!!!!

[Bernman]

At this point the Bucks are probably all aboard the "Thon is 23" train. If it's proven that he's over 21, then he was not of eligible draft age, and the pick would be voided. The Bucks would not only be a laughing stock, but would also have completely wasted their 2016 lottery pick.

They might as well do damage control and at least hope they can see how Maker pans out.

The league can't void a pick retroactively. The Bucks could only decline to sign him if they thought he wasn't worth the money anymore and made himself eligible under false pretenses. He was in the group of draft eligibles at the time, and that's who they took from the list. Now their stuck with him, for bad or good. No league would forcibly take away their pick. They have already been wronged enough, even though they partially brought it on themselves. Anyone else could have selected him if they thought it was somehow beneficial he was older and they discovered it. Hypothetically if a player falsified their age in the other direction to be draft eligible, I think the NBA would just allow that team to hold those draft rights until they were old enough and would join at that point.

[Westbreezy]

Watch him be amazing right off the bat and win ROY