Who is Khaman Maluach, the South Sudanese player picked in the NBA draft?

“With the 10th prime of the 2025 NBA Draft, the Houston Rockets prime Khaman Maluach,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced successful the world’s astir fashionable hoops league’s highly-anticipated draught nighttime successful New York.

“From Rumbek, South Sudan, the NBA Academy Africa successful Senegal and Duke [University],” Silver added arsenic the cameras chopped to an affectional Maluach, who bowed his caput and shook successful disbelief during the ceremonial connected Wednesday astatine the Barclays Center, location of the Brooklyn Nets NBA team.

The 18-year-old yet wiped his tears and stood up to large cheers and precocious fives from his adjacent circle, earlier walking up to the signifier to prime up his draught hat.

Clips of the moving scenes were swiftly shared connected societal media, with 1 instrumentality saying: “Khaman Maluach’s absorption to being drafted is what athletics is each about.”

The young subordinate said it was a time helium would “never forget” successful his beingness arsenic helium capped disconnected an unthinkable travel from the exile camps successful Africa to basketball’s highest stage.

Here’s each to cognize astir Maluach:

Who is Khaman Maluach?

Born connected September 14, 2006 successful Rumbek, a metropolis successful the centre of South Sudan, Maluach moved to neighbouring Uganda aft a civilian warfare erupted successful his location state successful 2013.

In Uganda, helium grew up astatine a exile campy successful Kawempe, an country connected the outskirts of the capital, Kampala.

How and erstwhile did Khaman Maluach commencement playing basketball?

Maluach picked up hoops rather late, astatine the property of 13, erstwhile the propulsion towards the crippled came from an unexpected source: A motorcyclist, who stopped erstwhile helium saw Maluach walking down a roadworthy successful Uganda, and offered immoderate unsolicited yet prophetic advice.

“He was like, ‘Yo, you should commencement playing basketball. In 3 to 4 years, you’ll beryllium specified a gangly person,'” Maluach recalled erstwhile speaking to the Olympic Games website successful 2023.

The soft-spoken subordinate began playing earnestly aft attending a section title organised by South Sudan’s hoops large Luol Deng successful 2019.

“I didn’t cognize hoops for a agelong clip due to the fact that of deficiency of facilities [in Uganda],” helium told hoops website Pro Insight successful 2023.

“It’s antithetic retired there, I had to locomotion astatine slightest 45 minutes to spell play basketball.”

How gangly is Khaman Maluach?

At a tallness of 7-foot-2 (218cm), Maluach stood retired amongst boys of his property successful his adopted hometown of Kawempe successful Uganda.

“When I went to Deng’s tournament, I saw guys my tallness and felt similar I belonged [on a hoops court],” Maluach said successful his interview.

Khaman Maluach poses aft being drafted by the Phoenix Suns during the 2025 NBA Draft astatine Barclays Center successful Brooklyn, New York [Jennifer Pottheiser/Getty Images via AFP]

Is Maluach going to the NBA?

Maluach realised his semipermanent imagination of playing successful the NBA erstwhile helium was picked successful Wednesday’s draft, a imaginable helium erstwhile thought was a delusion.

“[It was] maine being delusional astir my dreams, believing that I’m going to marque it to the NBA 1 time and now, I’m present – I conscionable got drafted,” an affectional Maluach told reporters soon afterwards.

A arrogant African, Maluach says that to spot children from his continent beryllium inspired by his communicative keeps him going.

“I archer them it’s not rocket science, it’s not thing brainsick [to play successful the NBA].

“Sometimes it’s OK to beryllium delusional astir your dreams and they extremity up happening.”

He is the highest-drafted erstwhile NBA Academy Africa subordinate ever.

How did Maluach spell from South Sudan to the NBA?

Maluach was selected by the NBA Academy Africa successful Senegal successful 2021, wherever helium honed his hoops skills and worked hard to adhd musculus to his skinny frame.

He credits the academy for putting him connected the way to success.

“They guided me, enactment maine successful the close spot astatine the close clip for maine to beryllium capable to succeed,” Maluach told ESPN a time earlier the NBA draft.

In 2024, helium made his mode to the United States aft signing with 1 of the apical assemblage hoops programs successful the state astatine Duke University.

Khaman Maluach dunks the shot during a crippled betwixt Duke and Arizona successful the  NCAA assemblage hoops tourney [File: Frank Franklin II/AP]

Which NBA squad volition Maluach play for?

While Maluach’s prime was announced by Houston Rockets connected draught night, helium volition play for the Phoenix Suns successful his NBA rookie season, arsenic his draught rights had already been traded to the Arizona nine successful a commercialized involving superstar Kevin Durant earlier successful the week.

Phoenix failed to suffice for the NBA playoffs successful the 2024-25 play aft finishing with a 36-46 regular play record.

What did Maluach accidental aft his draft?

“It’s specified a peculiar infinitesimal for maine [to beryllium picked],” helium said portion inactive successful tears soon aft his draft.

“I was conscionable truthful happy, my household was retired determination with maine and I got to person my caput manager and my ellipse astir me, seeing the champion time of my beingness and them being capable to acquisition it with maine was great.”

Maluach talked astir his African inheritance unabashedly and with large pride.

“I’m present representing the full continent of Africa,” helium said.

Before the show, a smiling Maluach showed disconnected the wrong of his overgarment – which bore the colours of Uganda connected 1 broadside and South Sudan connected the other.

“Living successful Africa, I had the full continent connected my back, giving anticipation to young kids and inspiring them and the adjacent procreation of African hoops players.”

Maluach said helium would nonstop his draught chapeau backmost to Africa.

“I’ll nonstop it to my 2 coaches who showed maine the fundamentals of hoops backmost successful Uganda.”

Khaman Maluach:
☑️ Born successful South Sudan 🇸🇸
☑️ Raised successful Uganda 🇺🇬
☑️ Standing gangly for the full continent 🌍#NBADraft pic.twitter.com/UzmCwzdHYV

— NBA Africa (@NBA_Africa) June 26, 2025

Where is Khaman Maluach’s family?

Maluach said his parents were watching the NBA Draft backmost successful Uganda, but immoderate of his household members surrounded him erstwhile his sanction was announced.

He aboriginal thanked his parents for making him a “good young man”.

“I wanna convey them truthful overmuch for raising maine the mode they raised maine – the close mode – and showing maine the bully values of life.”

In a erstwhile interview, Maluach said helium wants to alteration his mother’s beingness by bringing her to the US.

Has Khaman Maluach played for South Sudan?

Maluach was the youngest subordinate astatine the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 erstwhile helium represented his autochthonal South Sudan astatine the tourney successful the Philippines.

He was besides portion of their squad astatine the Paris Olympics 2024.

Khaman Maluach, right, played against the likes of NBA stars Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Stephen Curry erstwhile helium represented South Sudan astatine the Paris 2024 Olympics [File: Brian Snyder/Reuters]

Will Trump’s ‘Africa visa ban’ impact Khaman Maluach?

When the US authorities revoked each existing visas issued to South Sudanese passport holders and barred further entries of the country’s nationals owed to a failed deportation lawsuit successful April, it signalled an escalation of the Trump administration’s sweeping crackdown connected immigration.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio blamed the transitional authorities of the African federation for a deficiency of “full cooperation” and accused South Sudan of “taking advantage” of Washington portion announcing the move. It was the archetypal specified broad authorisation connected immoderate state since President Donald Trump took office.

At the clip of the announcement, Maluach was inactive astatine Duke connected a pupil visa and the assemblage said it was “aware of the announcement”.

However, with his anticipated determination to the NBA, Maluach’s visa class is apt to change, which whitethorn origin immoderate hindrance to his team, the Phoenix Suns.

What fertile is South Sudan successful basketball?

The African federation is ranked 23rd successful FIBA’s rankings but are the top-ranked squad connected the continent.

Why is South Sudan truthful bully astatine basketball?

In summation to being the youngest federation astatine the FIBA World Cup 2023, South Sudan became the lone African squad to suffice straight for the Paris Olympics 2024.

According to the team’s caput coach, Royal Ivey, the players’ resilience and hard enactment are to beryllium credited for their success.

“They cognize however to work, they propulsion forward, they fought time in, time out, and we got present due to the fact that of the hard enactment and the sweat that we enactment successful each day,” the Bright Stars’ manager said during the World Cup.

Deng, a erstwhile two-time NBA All-Star, took implicit arsenic president of the South Sudan Basketball Federation successful 2019 and recruited South Sudanese players from the diaspora, concisely coaching the squad himself.

South Sudan’s starring scorer, Carlik Jones of the Chicago Bulls, credits Deng arsenic 1 of the main reasons for the game’s improvement successful the conflict-ridden country.

“He’s giving backmost to the improvement of the game, helium helps with on-court stuff, off-the-court stuff,” Jones told Al Jazeera successful 2023.