Meet Thokbor Majak, SDSU first-year forward on the men’s basketball team

You might notice a very tall student buzzing by on a scooter heading to a San Diego State University class, or putting the 8 ball in the corner pocket of the pool table at a local apartment building — or dribbling on the court at Viejas Arena.

When people ask how tall he is and if he plays basketball, the answers are “7 feet,” and ”Yes.” 

Thokbor Majak moved to San Diego in 2024, recruited by the SDSU basketball team. The first week, Majak made it a point to explore the beaches: Mission Beach, La Jolla, Coronado and Imperial Beach. After spending his childhood in South Sudan, Uganda, and Senegal and his high school years in the desert (Glendale, Arizona) — San Diego was a welcome change. 

As a child, he played soccer with friends, just for fun with no intention of playing organized sports. Then in 2018, he had a growth spurt. “I had no choice but to play basketball,” he said. At 14-years-old he was 6’6” and suddenly he grew to 6’11” in a period of about three months. By 15, he grew to 7 feet-tall and was offered a spot at the NBA Academy Africa in Senegal. 

 He became deeply interested in the mechanics of basketball after watching Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant. “The way he approaches the game made me love the game of basketball,” Majak said. 

In his first semester at SDSU, Majak discovered a group of international students, but on the basketball court there were two with whom he found a home country connection. Former player and now staff Aguek Arop, and forward Magoon Gwath both have family ties to South Sudan. 

Majak was born in Bor, in the Eastern part of South Sudan near the White Nile, on a rural subsistence farm. HIs family produced crops including sorghum, millet and sesame seeds, and raised cattle and domestic animals.

He left home at a young age. He went to school in Kampala, Uganda and Saly, Senegal. “I’ve been through different stages of life, for instance: living in a village area where there was no electricity” to coming to urban areas in Uganda, Senegal and finally to the United States, he said.

He misses his home and family. He misses Kombo, a favorite famous South Sudanese dish: a stew of peanut butter, spinach tomatoes, and meat. Majak has tried to order it at the African restaurants in the U.S., but it’s just not the same. “Grandma made tilapia fish — I miss that for sure — that was a long time ago, but I can’t forget,” he said. Majak hasn’t seen his grandma (who raised him) for seven years, but he calls her often. 

Some call him “Thok” and others call him “Bor.” Thok means “mouth” and it also means “word.” Literally Thokbor means: the word of the people from Bor. When he is at a San Diego restaurant or coffee shop, though, he’ll tell the order taker that his name is “John.” It makes it easier.

“Transitioning from high school to college has been beneficial for me — it changed my life — I’ve been more independent than back at home,” Majak said.

He chose to major in economics because he is a curious person and he wants to know how goods are produced. He also has an interest in trading, supply and demand, math, and sciences. “I want to know how the world works,” he said. Learning about the many economic fields and the need for public policy makers has been inspiring. “When I get those concepts I’ll apply them.” He hopes to use his knowledge to go into business. 

As a basketball player and student, his perspectives have changed and broadened. He sees the differences in the U.S. and his home. He points to the opportunities in the U.S. “All you have to do is work hard and stay on the right side of the law,” he said. “You can accomplish a lot as long as you stay solid and with a good group of people.”

With the basketball team as a foundation, Majak points to lessons he has already learned from Coach Dutcher. “He is poised at every moment — when things are going wrong or things are going good — he is the same guy,” Majak said. “I think the way he does things sets an example as a leader.

“One thing I’ve learned from him is that you have to move on. If you made a bad play you have to move on from it. That's how you will be successful on the basketball court  — and in life.”

After he graduates he'll visit his family in Bor. But for now his focus is earning an economics degree and playing basketball. “I am grateful to be here,” he said.