“I send a text to my mom. I said catch me in the starting lineup”. Max Christie gave a candid response on his immediate actions after being informed that he will start for the Los Angeles Lakers in January 2023. Throughout his NBA journey, which began in 2022, the 21-year-old has seldom shied away from highlighting the impact his parents and childhood upbringing had on getting him to the NBA stage.

Despite this, Christie has only chosen to give out limited information when it comes to his nationality, ethnicity, and/or religious beliefs. Therefore, it is up to us to explore more about the Lakers star’s background.

Where was Max Christie born? Is the Lakers star an American?

Max Christie was born in 2003 in Arlington Heights, a village located in Cook County, Illinois, known for its dense population. His parents, Max Sr. Christie and Katrinas Christie are Illinois residents and American nationals. This, in turn, makes the NBA player’s nationality as an American. Meanwhile, Max Sr. Christie holds an African-American ethnicity, while his wife is white Caucasian. Even though this makes the Lakers shooting guard of a mixed race, he still identifies as an African-American, according to Tuko.

Basketball was written in Max Christie’s destiny right from the start. After all, not only does his father but also his mother come from a basketball background! During his early days, Max Sr. was a basketball standout for Loyola Academy. He became efficient enough with the ball to take his talents to the Parkland College Basketball Team.

Information about his exact stats is not available in the public domain. However, we do know that Max Sr. played three seasons (1984-87) with the Parkland team. The NBA star’s father also spent time with the Wisconsin–Superior team. However, Max Sr. didn’t choose to take his basketball aspirations any further. Instead, he completed his education and became an aircraft pilot.

Meanwhile, Katrinas Christie was once a Northwestern Wildcats women’s basketball team member. As highlighted by the Daily Herald, she became known for once scoring 55 points in a high school game for Eau Claire (Wis.) Memorial. In Northwestern, she made a mark by becoming a 1,000-point scorer at Northwestern. According to the Lakers star, Katrinas had “either the highest or 2nd highest field goal percentage in school history”.

Similarly to her future husband, Katrinas did not choose to take her basketball aspirations to the next level. After completing her education, Katrinas established a career as a psychologist.

Max Sr. and Katrinas were not able to get to the NBA-WNBA level. However, they could instill an interest in basketball for their children. During an interview with Prospective Insight, Max highlighted how Katrinas taught him to maintain a wide base, especially in the post. Calling her out to be his mentor, Max explained her role outside the basketball court by stating, “She keeps me on track with social media and being able to manage these interviews. She has instilled the social aspect and how to greet people and treat people with respect. My dad is mostly on the court and my mom is mostly off the court”.

Max Sr. and Katrinas’s efforts allowed them to have two children playing in the NBA. After all, the Los Angeles Clippers selected Max’s younger brother, Cam Christie, as the 46th overall pick during the 2024 NBA Draft. If all goes well, there may come a day when the Lakers and the Clippers compete in the playoffs. If that happens, then Katrinas Christie better prepare herself to deal with the situation somewhat better than Sonya Curry.

What religion does Christie follow?

According to Tuko, Max Christie follows Christianity. However, the player himself has not been quite vocal about his religion, and how staunchly he follows it.

Has Max Christie represented the US National Team on international floors?

Max Christie has just started in the NBA. Therefore, he hasn’t proven himself yet to be on a level that makes him worthy enough to compete in the Olympics. However, this does not mean he hasn’t been a part of a Team USA squad. In fact, Max Christie represented his country during the 2019 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship, held in Brazil.

He averaged 9.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1 assist during that period. On the shooting front, he made 3-8 field goals, 2.2-5.8 three-pointers, and 1.3-1.7 free throws per game. His contribution played a memorable role in Team USA bagging the Gold Medal after the squad defeated Canada in the Finals.

“Winning a gold medal at 16 is unreal,” said Christie during the ‘Prospective Insight’ interview in October 2019. He further added that “playing against international competition, it’s a great feeling. That’s my biggest accomplishment and best memory on the floor”.

Max Christie’s NBA journey is still in its early stages. However, he is not failing at making impressions in whatever game he plays in. Therefore, we can be sure to look out for some more memorable moments, from the player’s side, in the future.