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Top 10 Intriguing Facts about Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk

Sviatoslav “Svi” Yuriyovych Mykhailiuk is a Ukrainian professional basketball player. Born on 10^th June 1997, Mykhailiuk, a free agent, has played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Mykhailiuk last played for the Toronto Raptors. In 2018, he was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers. He was selected with the 47th overall pick.

From 2012 to 2014, Mykhailiuk played for Cherkaski Mavpy in the Ukrainian Basketball Super League. At the 2014 FIBA World Cup, he played for the Ukrainian national team. He later played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks.

Below are ten interesting facts about Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk.

1. He studied in Ukraine before moving to the United States of America

Mykhailiuk was born in Cherkasy, Ukraine. He attended the Cherkasy First City Gymnasia high school. Inna, his mother, was a high school biology teacher. His father Lurri, taught history as a college professor.

2. He played for Ukraine’s under-16 team, and the under-20 team and was part of the All-Tournament Team

The Ukrainian Basketball Federation logo. Photo by Ukraine national basketball team/

During the 2013 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship, Mykhailiuk was part of Ukraine’s under-16 team. His performance was outstanding and he was selected as part of the All-Tournament Team.

The 2016 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship was held in Helsinki. He was also part of this team. During the seven-game tournament, he scored about 14 points per game. Mykhailiuk also played in the 2017 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship. He made about 20 points per game making him the lead scorer.

3. He was part of Ukraine’s senior national team in the 2014 FIBA World Cup

Ukraine sent a men’s national team to the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. The event took place between 30 August and 14 September in Spain. Mykhailiuk was part of the men’s national team that took part in that World Cup.

4. Alongside fellow Ukrainian basketball player, he condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Alex Len while playing for the Atlanta Hawkes in 2020. Photo by Flickr/

Russia invaded Ukraine on 23 February 2022. Alongside Alex Len, the other Ukrainian NBA basketball player, Mykhailiuk condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Their statement categorically condemned the war.

The statement called for an end to the war stating that Ukraine was a peaceful nation. Mykhailiuk and Len urged the Ukrainian people to be united and to hold on.

5. He played professionally for Cherkaski Mavpy from 2012 to 2014

Mykhailiuk played for his hometown team. He played for Cherkaski Mavpy from 2012 to 2014. After playing for the Ukrainian Basketball Super League he later began playing at Kansas.

6. He played for Kansas during his university days and also set a school record

Kansas University Jayhawks logo. Photo by University of Kansas/

After receiving offers from several colleges including Oregon, Iowa State, Kansas, and Virginia, Mykhailiuk opted to play for Kansas. He committed to play for the University of Kansas on May 21, 2014.

He played during the 2014 to 2015 seasons. He started five of the first seven games he played during his freshman year. He averaged 21.3 minutes a game. On November 30, 2014, he played in the Orlando Classic Championship game against Michigan State. In the 32 minutes he played during this game, he scored 11 points.

At 17 years, Mykhailiuk was the youngest player in the history of the Big 12 conference. He averaged 0.9 assists, 1.3 rebounds, and 5.4 points, per game in his sophomore year. During the 2015 to 2016 season in his sophomore year at Kansas, he hit 40.2 percent of his three-point shots.

He entered the 2017 NBA Draft on April 12, 2017, although he did not hire an agent. During the 2017 to 2018 Jayhawks season, Mykhailiuk played in a game against San Diego. He scored 27 points and set a school record for 3-pointers.

7. He has played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Toronto Raptors

The current Los Angeles Lakers National Basketball Association (NBA) team logo. Photo by Tkgd2007/

Mykhailiuk was selected in the 2018 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. This was the 47^th overall pick which took place on June 21, 2018. He signed a three-year contract with the LA Lakers. He signed the USD 4.6 million rookie scale contract on July 10.

In exchange for Reggie Bullock, on February 6, 2019, Mykhailiuk was traded to the Detroit Pistons. He was with the pistons from 2019 to 2021. He later joined the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 13, 2021.  Mykhailiuk was traded along with a 2027 second-round draft pick. This was in exchange for Hamidou Diallo

Since August 31, 2021, Mykhailiuk has been with the Toronto Raptors. He signed a two-year deal for slightly more than USD 3.6 million.

8. He played 56 games with the Pistons and was part of the Rising Stars Game

While playing for the Pistons, Mykhailiuk was integral to its core. He started in 27 games and played 56 games in total. He was among the league’s top 3-point shooters. He was a contestant in the Rising Stars Game during the All-Star Weekend. Mykhailiuk was the only person representing Detroit.

9. Despite being considered one of the best shooters he had a low conversion rate

A person reaching for a basketball. Photo by Tom Briskey on

Selected as part of the 2018 NBA Draft, Mykhailiuk was considered one of its best shooters. He however converted less than 25 percent of his 3-point attempts. This was during the Detroit preseason game. In October, he only played one out of five regular season games.

10. He was one of four players retained by the new general manager

People playing basketball. Photo by Vu Huy Hoang Chu on

When the new general manager selected his players, Mykhailiuk was one of only four players retained. Troy Weaver’s selection which included Mykhailiuk was an indication of his capabilities on the basketball court. Mykhailiuk was consistent in his shooting but other aspects seemed to be on and off.