Naji Maurice Marshall, born on January 24, 1998, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, is an American professional basketball forward currently playing for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA.
Early Life and Education
Marshall honed his basketball skills at the University of Xavier, where he played for the Musketeers from 2017 to 2020. Over his three-year college career, he averaged 12.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.0 steal per game. His performance earned him a spot on the All-Big East First Team in his junior year.
Professional Career
After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft, Marshall signed a two-way contract with the New Orleans Pelicans in December 2020. He converted to a standard contract in May 2021. Over four seasons with the Pelicans, he played in 230 regular-season games, averaging 7.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. In June 2024, he signed a three-year, $27 million contract with the Dallas Mavericks.
Recent Incident
In December 2024, during a game between the Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns, Marshall was involved in a physical altercation with Jusuf Nurkic of the Suns. The incident began with an offensive foul committed by Nurkic and escalated when he slapped Marshall, who responded by punching Nurkic. Mavericks forward P.J. Washington added to the altercation by shoving Nurkic to the floor. All three players were ejected, and subsequent to the incident, Marshall received a four-game suspension, while Nurkic and Washington were suspended for three and one games, respectively.