Cormac Karl "Max" Christie Jr. (born February 10, 2003) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans of the Big Ten Conference. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top shooting guards in the 2021 class.
Christie in 2023 | |||||||||||||||
No. 12 – Los Angeles Lakers | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Shooting guard | ||||||||||||||
League | NBA | ||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||
Born | Arlington Heights, Illinois, U.S. | February 10, 2003||||||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||||
Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||
High school | Rolling Meadows (Rolling Meadows, Illinois) | ||||||||||||||
College | Michigan State (2021–2022) | ||||||||||||||
NBA draft | 2022: 2nd round, 35th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers | |||||||||||||||
Playing career | 2022–present | ||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||
2022–present | Los Angeles Lakers | ||||||||||||||
2022–2023 | →South Bay Lakers | ||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||||
Medals
|
High school career
editChristie played basketball for Rolling Meadows High School in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, and was teammates with his younger brother, Cameron.[1] In his freshman season, he averaged 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists per game.[2] As a sophomore, Christie averaged 25.5 points, ten rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. He scored a career-high 51 points against Elk Grove High School.[3] In his junior season, Christie averaged 25 points and 11 rebounds per game, earning Pioneer Press Player of the Year honors.[4] As a senior, he averaged 24.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.1 steals per game, leading his team to a 15–0 record. Christie was selected as Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year, News-Gazette All-State Player of the Year and Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year.[5][6][7] He was named to the rosters for the McDonald's All-American Game, Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit.[8]
Recruiting
editChristie was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top shooting guards in the 2021 class.[9] On July 7, 2020, he committed to playing college basketball for Michigan State over offers from Duke, Villanova and Ohio State, among others.[10]
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Max Christie SG |
Arlington Heights, IL | Rolling Meadows (IL) | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jul 7, 2020 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 20 247Sports: 21 ESPN: 18 | ||||||
Sources:
|
College career
editOn January 5, 2022, Christie scored a season-high 21 points in a 79–67 win against Nebraska.[11] As a freshman, he averaged 9.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game and was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.[12] On April 1, 2022, Christie declared for the 2022 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility[13] and on May 16 announced he would hire an agent and remain in the draft.[14]
Professional career
editChristie was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the 2022 NBA draft with the 35th overall pick. Christie joined the Lakers' 2022 NBA Summer League roster.[15] In his Summer League debut, Christie scored five points and nine rebounds in a 100–66 California Classic win against the Miami Heat.[16] On July 8, 2022, Christie signed his rookie scale contract with the Lakers.[17] He was assigned to the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League on March 8, 2023.[18] He was recalled by the Los Angeles Lakers from South Bay two days later.[19]
On December 9, 2023, Christie and the Lakers won the inaugural season of the NBA In-Season Tournament.[20]
Christie re-signed with the Lakers on a four year 32 million deal on the 2nd of July, 2024.[21][22]
National team career
editChristie represented the United States at the 2019 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Brazil. He averaged 9.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, helping his team win the gold medal.[23]
Career statistics
editGP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
editRegular season
editYear | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022–23 | L.A. Lakers | 41 | 3 | 12.5 | .415 | .419 | .875 | 1.8 | .5 | .2 | .2 | 3.1 |
2023–24 | L.A. Lakers | 67 | 7 | 14.1 | .427 | .356 | .783 | 2.1 | .9 | .3 | .3 | 4.2 |
Career | 108 | 10 | 13.5 | .424 | .378 | .806 | 2.0 | .8 | .3 | .2 | 3.8 |
Playoffs
editYear | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | L.A. Lakers | 9 | 0 | 3.7 | .500 | .250 | .500 | .8 | .3 | .0 | .1 | 1.4 |
Career | 9 | 0 | 3.7 | .500 | .250 | .500 | .8 | .3 | .0 | .1 | 1.4 |
College
editYear | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021–22 | Michigan State | 35 | 35 | 30.8 | .382 | .317 | .824 | 3.5 | 1.5 | .5 | .5 | 9.3 |
Personal life
editChristie's mother, Katrina (nee Hannaford), played college basketball at Northwestern, scoring over 1,000 points, and is a psychologist.[24] His father, Max Sr., played college basketball at Parkland College and Wisconsin–Superior before becoming an aircraft pilot.[25] His younger brother Cam Christie was a collegiate basketball player at Minnesota.[26] On June 27, 2024, younger brother Cam Christie was selected with the 46th overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2024 NBA Draft.[9]
References
edit- ^ Narang, Bob (December 13, 2019). "For Rolling Meadows phenom Max Christie, life in the spotlight is the new normal". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ Narang, Bob (November 10, 2018). "Must-see Mustang: Max Christie a game-changer at Rolling Meadows". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ Quinn, Brendan (July 7, 2020). "Max Christie picks Michigan State as Tom Izzo's recruiting haul continues". The Athletic. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ Reaven, Steve (March 21, 2020). "Rolling Meadows' Max Christie is the 2019-20 Pioneer Press Boys Basketball Player of the Year". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ Richey, Scott (May 2, 2021). "N-G All-State POY: Christie cemented legacy at Rolling Meadows". The News-Gazette. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ "Rolling Meadows' Christie picks up Gatorade honor". Daily Herald. June 4, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ O'Brien, Michael (April 1, 2021). "2021 Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year: Rolling Meadows' Max Christie". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ Davis, Tyler J. (February 23, 2021). "Michigan State signee Max Christie becomes Tom Izzo's first McDonald's All American in 4 years". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ Narang, Bob (August 12, 2019). "After star-studded summer, Max Christie ready for junior year at Rolling Meadows". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ Borzello, Jeff (July 7, 2020). "5-star guard Max Christie commits to Michigan State basketball". ESPN. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ "No. 10 Michigan State tops Nebraska 79–67 for 8th win in row". ESPN. Associated Press. January 5, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
- ^ "2021-22 Big Ten Men's Basketball Postseason Honors Announced" (Press release). Big Ten Conference. March 8, 2022. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ Solari, Chris. "Michigan State basketball freshman Max Christie testing NBA draft process". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ^ "Michigan State's Max Christie hiring agent, remaining in NBA Draft". mlive. May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
- ^ "Los Angeles Lakers 2022 NBA2K23 Summer League Roster | NBA.com". www.nba.com. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ "Los Angeles Lakers vs Miami Heat Jul 2, 2022 Box Scores | NBA.com". www.nba.com. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ "Lakers Sign Max Christie". www.nba.com. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ "Los Angeles Lakers Make A Roster Move Following Win Over Grizzlies On Tuesday Night". SI.com. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ^ "Los Angeles Lakers Make A Roster Move Ahead Of Friday Night Game Against Raptors". SI.com. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- ^ "Lakers take NBA Cup as AD explodes for 41-20". ESPN.com. December 10, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
- ^ "Sources: Christie to stay with Lakers on $32M deal". ESPN.com. June 30, 2024. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
- ^ lalswong (July 6, 2024). "Lakers Re-Sign Max Christie". NBA.com. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
- ^ Solari, Chris (July 7, 2020). "Michigan State basketball adds 'special, unique kid' in 5-star SG Max Christie". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ Babcock-McGraw, Patricia (November 21, 2019). "Rolling Meadows' Christie prepared to soar to new heights on court". Daily Herald. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ Bain, Matthew (May 1, 2019). "'Pressure is a privilege': This is Max Christie, the most humble five-star phenom you'll meet". Hawk Central. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ "Cam Christie". Gopher Sports. 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.