Sydney defender Aliir Aliir beams with pride at the mention of Thon Maker.Not just because he and the Australian NBA draft pick are both Sudanese - but also because they share the same blood.Maker is Aliirs cousin, the son of his mothers sister. Its their common genes, a shared sporting prowess and strength amid adversity that have steered the child refugees to the heights of the AFL and NBA.Aliir was born in Kenyas Kakuma refugee camp, moving to Australia with his family when he was eight.Maker spent the first five years of his life in what is now South Sudan before fleeing with some relatives and joining Aliir in Newcastle, then moving to Perth while Aliirs family settled in Brisbane.Most of what the pair knew then was soccer - a 14-year-old Maker was aptly discovered kicking soccer balls in Perth before developing his basketball game in Sydney, the US and Canada.Last week the 216cm talent was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 10th pick of the NBA draft, leaving Aliir ecstatic. Ive known him pretty much all my life, Aliir told AAP.When he came down to Sydney recently I caught up with him.Just to see him get drafted shows his commitment and dedication.Hes gone over to the states at a young age and left his family behind - hes got no one over there.And hes worked hard to become an NBA player.He achieved that last week so Im so rapt for him.Like Maker, Aliir was basketball-crazy as an early teenager before some mates introduced him to AFL.An Oklahoma City Thunder fan, hes a Kevin Durant man to the core.But since Thon got drafted I might have to go for the Milwaukee Bucks, he admitted.Even now as a Swans star the 21-year-old still shoots hoops occasionally, just as he did this week in Sydney at a charity basketball clinic for disadvantaged children.The focus now is showing kids how far drive can get you, even when you have nothing else.Ever since I got drafted Ive had little kids who look up to me, Aliir said.I sort of had to embrace that challenge of being a role model and try to help as many kids as I can.Theres a lot of Sudanese kids who are talented, but their mind is probably not in the right place.Theres issues stopping them from going to the next level.I suppose my job is to come to the community and just have a chat to them, give them a word of advice and tell them my pathway and how I got to where I am.Hopefully that can inspire them. Cheap Nike MLB Jerseys . LOUIS -- The New Orleans Saints looked like a team playing out the string. Discount Baseball Jerseys .C. at the helm of the top team in the Eastern Conference. His tenure as the GM in Vancouver was all too brief. Though he led the Canucks to what was then a franchise record-shattering campaign in just his second season, Nonis was gone and replaced one year later. http://www.cheapmlbjerseysauthenticchina.com/ . LOUIS -- The New Orleans Saints looked like a team playing out the string. Wholesale MLB Jerseys China . - Connor McDavid scored 53 seconds into overtime as the Erie Otters came from behind to defeat the visiting Guelph Storm 4-3 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Cheap MLB Jerseys Store . "I was fortunate to play many years at this level with a great organization and unbelievable teammates," said Hejduk in a statement. If what they say is true and everybody loves an underdog, 2016 will be remembered as one of the best years in the almanacs of sport.From the unheralded Danny Willett taking out the US Masters title to 5000 to 1 shot Leicester City winning the English Premier League, it has been a great year to be an outsider.Are the Cronulla Sharks also about to follow suit and write the next chapter in a growing collection of sporting fairy tales?Cronulla, for decades, have provided more punchlines than punch in the NRL but as they celebrate their 50th year they are circling a maiden rugby league premiership.Just two years ago, Cronulla claimed the wooden spoon after becoming embroiled in a supplements scandal that disrupted their season and threatened the clubs existence; how times have changed.When UBET tabled their first market for season 2016, the Sharks were quoted at a generous $17 to break the drought.They firmed into $11 ahead of the season opener but the initial odds appeared more than justified after two defeats in the first three rounds.Their slow start saw them slump to 10th on the NRL ladder, their premiership odds ease back out to $13 and left their long-suffering fans feeling as empty as their trophy cabinet.Fast-forward to round 20, and Cronulla are closing on their first minor premiership since 1999 with hope growing as fast as the odds are shortening that this could finally be their year. They are now $4.25 second-favouritess with UBET.dddddddddddd?Since their 22-12 loss to Manly in mid-March, they have gone on a 14-match unbeaten run and, as each round passes, interest in the Sharks has steadily increased from a nibble into a frenzy.?They are almost unbackable this Sunday to equal the fifth-best mark set by Souths, Manly and Melbourne with 15 straight victories when they take on the bottom-placed Newcastle.The Roosters team of 1975 hold the longest winning streak with 19 matches, but UBET rate the Sharks of 2016 as a genuine chance of breaking that record -- quoting $13 for them to reach 21 by the end of the regular season.And their draw looks favourable with winnable games in the following rounds until the week before the finals, when they will run into fellow premiership contenders Melbourne.?If Cronulla manage to clear that obstacle then the focus will shift to an inconceivable 24 straight wins through the finals; achieve that and nobody could deny them their first ever premiership triumph.ESPN columnist Brett Kimmorley is already a believer; hes predicted his former club will keep the run going, and rubbished the theory that they need to lose a game before the finals.Winning form is good form, Kimmorley said.They havent been at their best lately but theyve still found ways to win which is important in the finals. China NFL Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Online Stitched Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys Football Jerseys Outlet College Jerseys For Sale Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys For Sale Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '