South Sudan international Mangok Mathiang has joined the Adelaide 36ers for the remainder of the Hungry Jack's NBL27 season. The 34-year-old centre arrives from Rwanda, where he played for APR in the Rwanda Basketball League and RSSB Tigers in the Basketball Africa League.
Mathiang helped the Tigers win the 2026 BAL championship in Kigali, posting 11 points and 14 rebounds in their final victory over Angola's Petro de Luanda. His performances also earned him the Dikembe Mutombo Defensive Player of the Year award. "We wanted to bring in someone of really high value, and in Mangok we have that," 36ers General Manager of Basketball Operations Matt Weston said. "We need that guy off the bench who does the hard yards. That means rebounding, setting screens, defending, and putting heat on the rim."
Weston pointed to Mathiang's rebounding rates as a key attraction. "He's got great size and physical presence, and per minute his rebounding numbers are about the same as Nick Rakocevic, so that will help us control the glass on both ends," he said.
The 208cm centre brings considerable NBL experience, having previously played for the Illawarra Hawks during NBL23 and the New Zealand Breakers the following season. A former University of Louisville player, he appeared in four NBA games for the Charlotte Hornets in 2017-18 after going undrafted, and has since played in Italy, Turkey, Israel and China. The 36ers face South East Melbourne on Saturday, October 24, though a decision on whether Mathiang will feature is yet to be made.
