Maximilian Heidegger (מקס היידגר; born June 5, 1997) is an American-Israeli professional basketball player for Türk Telekom of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). He played college basketball for UC Santa Barbara.
 Heidegger with UC Santa Barbara in 2019 | |
| Türk Telekom | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard |
| League | Basketbol Süper Ligi |
| Personal information | |
| Born | June 5, 1997 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American / Israeli |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | |
| College | UC Santa Barbara (2016–2020) |
| NBA draft | 2020: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2020–present |
| Career history | |
| 2020–2021 | Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv |
| 2020–2021 | →Bnei Herzliya |
| 2021–2022 | EWE Baskets Oldenburg |
| 2022–2023 | Yukatel Merkezefendi |
| 2023 | Saski Baskonia |
| 2023–2024 | Windy City Bulls |
| 2024 | Umana Reyer Venezia |
| 2024–present | Türk Telekom |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
High school career
Heidegger played for two years at Crespi Carmelite High School. He suffered a back injury as a sophomore.[1] As a junior, he transferred to Blair Academy in New Jersey but did not play basketball. Heidegger transferred to Oaks Christian School for his senior year. He scored a career-high 40 points on February 6, 2016, in a 76–66 win against Agoura High School.[2] Heidegger averaged 28 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He was named to the Southern Section All-Division 4A Team, Los Angeles Daily News All-Area Team, and Ventura County Star All-County Team.[3]
College career
As a freshman at UC Santa Barbara, Heidegger averaged 7.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game, though the team struggled to a 6–22 record.[4] On November 11, 2017, Heidegger scored a career-high 33 points while shooting 8-of-14 from beyond the arc in an 85–66 win against North Dakota State.[5] He averaged 19.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game as a sophomore, shooting 40.4% from three-point range.[6] Heidegger earned First Team All-Big West honors.[7] He averaged 11.9 points, three rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game as a junior.[8]
On November 27, 2019, Heidegger suffered a concussion after hitting his head on a metal railing during a game against Portland State, forcing him to miss more than a month.[9] On February 1, 2020, he nearly posted a triple-double with 14 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds in an 87–62 win against Long Beach State.[10] Heidegger had a season-high 31 points on February 13, in an 84–75 loss at UC Davis.[11] He suffered a season-ending ankle injury on February 27 against UC Riverside. As a senior, Heidegger led UC Santa Barbara in scoring at 16 points per game, and also averaged 3.2 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game. He was named to the First Team All-Big West.[12] Heidegger finished his college career with 1,347 points, ranking 15th on the Gauchos' all-time scoring list.[7]
Professional career
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv / Bnei Herzliya (2020–2021)
On September 22, 2020, Heidegger signed his first professional contract with Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv of the Israeli Premier League.[13] On December 5, 2020, Heidegger was loaned to Bnei Herzliya of the Israeli Premier League.[14] He averaged 18.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game.
EWE Baskets Oldenburg (2021–2022)
On July 9, 2021, Heidegger signed with EWE Baskets Oldenburg of the German Basketball Bundesliga.[15] In 26 German league games played, he averaged 18.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.
He played for the Atlanta Hawks in the 2021 NBA summer league, scoring 12 points in 15 minutes on 4–8 shooting at his debut in a 85–83 loss against the Boston Celtics and fellow Israeli Yam Madar.[16]
Yukatel Merkezefendi (2022–2023)
On August 1, 2022, Heidegger signed with Yukatel Merkezefendi of the Turkish Basketball Super League (BSL).[17] He averaged 19.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 6.3 assists in 15 BSL games played.
Saski Baskonia (2023)
On January 28, 2023, Heidegger signed with Saski Baskonia of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague.[18] On July 3, he parted ways with the Spanish club.
Windy City Bulls (2023–2024)
On September 8, 2023, Heidegger signed with the Chicago Bulls,[19] but was waived on October 12.[20] On November 2, he joined the Windy City Bulls.[21]
Umana Reyer Venezia (2024)
On January 8, 2024, Heidegger signed with Umana Reyer Venezia of the Lega Basket Serie A and the EuroCup.[22]
Türk Telekom (2024–present)
On June 17, 2024, he signed with Türk Telekom of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL).[23]
Career statistics
| GP | 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 | PIR | Performance Index Rating |
| Bold | Career high |
EuroLeague
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | Baskonia | 12 | 0 | 8.8 | .320 | .286 | 1.000 | .3 | 2.0 | .2 | — | 2.5 | 2.1 |
| Career | 12 | 0 | 8.8 | .320 | .286 | 1.000 | .3 | 2.0 | .2 | — | 2.5 | 2.1 | |
Personal life
Heidegger is the son of Jami and Klaus Heidegger.[7] His father is an Austrian former alpine skier who finished second overall at the 1976–77 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup. He later became a successful entrepreneur in the United States.[24] Heidegger's parents owned the beauty brand Kiehl's before selling it to L'Oréal for an estimated $100 million to $150 million in 2000.[25] His mother has a lung disease.[7] Heidegger is Jewish.[13]