“With the tenth choose of the 2025 NBA Draft, the Houston Rockets choose Khaman Maluach,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver introduced on the earth’s hottest basketball league’s highly-anticipated draft night time in New York.
“From Rumbek, South Sudan, the NBA Academy Africa in Senegal and Duke [University],” Silver added because the cameras minimize to an emotional Maluach, who bowed his head and shook in disbelief throughout the ceremony on Wednesday on the Barclays Middle, house of the Brooklyn Nets NBA staff.
The 18-year-old ultimately wiped his tears and stood as much as loud cheers and excessive fives from his shut circle, earlier than strolling as much as the stage to choose up his draft hat.
Clips of the shifting scenes have been swiftly shared on social media, with one fan saying: “Khaman Maluach’s response to being drafted is what sport is all about.”
The younger participant stated it was a day he would “always remember” in his life as he capped off an unbelievable journey from the refugee camps in Africa to basketball’s highest stage.
Right here’s all to learn about Maluach:
Who’s Khaman Maluach?
Born on September 14, 2006 in Rumbek, a metropolis within the centre of South Sudan, Maluach moved to neighbouring Uganda after a civil conflict erupted in his house nation in 2013.
In Uganda, he grew up at a refugee camp in Kawempe, an space on the outskirts of the capital, Kampala.
How and when did Khaman Maluach begin taking part in basketball?
Maluach picked up basketball fairly late, on the age of 13, when the push in direction of the sport got here from an sudden supply: A motorcyclist, who stopped when he noticed Maluach strolling down a street in Uganda, and supplied some unsolicited but prophetic recommendation.
“He was like, ‘Yo, you need to begin taking part in basketball. In three to 4 years, you’ll be such a tall particular person,’” Maluach recalled when chatting with the Olympic Video games web site in 2023.
The soft-spoken participant started taking part in critically after attending an area championship organised by South Sudan’s basketball nice Luol Deng in 2019.
“I didn’t know basketball for a very long time due to lack of amenities [in Uganda],” he instructed basketball web site Professional Perception in 2023.
“It’s totally different on the market, I needed to stroll at the very least 45 minutes to go play basketball.”
How tall is Khaman Maluach?
At a peak of 7-foot-2 (218cm), Maluach stood out amongst boys of his age in his adopted hometown of Kawempe in Uganda.
“Once I went to Deng’s match, I noticed guys my peak and felt like I belonged [on a basketball court],” Maluach stated in his interview.
Is Maluach going to the NBA?
Maluach realised his long-term dream of taking part in within the NBA when he was picked in Wednesday’s draft, a prospect he as soon as thought was a delusion.
“[It was] me being delusional about my goals, believing that I’m going to make it to the NBA in the future and now, I’m right here – I simply obtained drafted,” an emotional Maluach instructed reporters shortly afterwards.
A proud African, Maluach says that to see kids from his continent be impressed by his story retains him going.
“I inform them it’s not rocket science, it’s not one thing loopy [to play in the NBA].
“Typically it’s OK to be delusional about your goals they usually find yourself occurring.”
He’s the highest-drafted former NBA Academy Africa participant ever.
How did Maluach go from South Sudan to the NBA?
Maluach was chosen by the NBA Academy Africa in Senegal in 2021, the place he honed his basketball expertise and labored onerous so as to add muscle to his skinny body.
He credit the academy for placing him on the trail to success.
“They guided me, put me in the appropriate place on the proper time for me to have the ability to succeed,” Maluach instructed ESPN a day earlier than the NBA draft.
In 2024, he made his technique to the USA after signing with one of many high faculty basketball applications within the nation at Duke College.
Which NBA staff will Maluach play for?
Whereas Maluach’s choose was introduced by Houston Rockets on draft night time, he’ll play for the Phoenix Suns in his NBA rookie season, as his draft rights had already been traded to the Arizona membership in a commerce involving famous person Kevin Durant earlier within the week.
Phoenix didn’t qualify for the NBA playoffs within the 2024-25 season after ending with a 36-46 common season document.
What did Maluach say after his draft?
“It’s such a particular second for me [to be picked],” he stated whereas nonetheless in tears shortly after his draft.
“I used to be simply so blissful, my household was on the market with me and I obtained to have my head coach and my circle round me, seeing the perfect day of my life and them having the ability to expertise it with me was nice.”
Maluach talked about his African background unabashedly and with nice delight.
“I’m right here representing the entire continent of Africa,” he stated.
Earlier than the present, a smiling Maluach confirmed off the within of his jacket – which bore the colors of Uganda on one facet and South Sudan on the opposite.
“Residing in Africa, I had the entire continent on my again, giving hope to younger children and galvanizing them and the following era of African basketball gamers.”
Maluach stated he would ship his draft hat again to Africa.
“I’ll ship it to my two coaches who confirmed me the basics of basketball again in Uganda.”
Khaman Maluach:
☑️ Born in South Sudan 🇸🇸
☑️ Raised in Uganda 🇺🇬
☑️ Standing tall for the entire continent 🌍#NBADraft pic.twitter.com/UzmCwzdHYV— NBA Africa (@NBA_Africa) June 26, 2025
The place is Khaman Maluach’s household?
Maluach stated his dad and mom have been watching the NBA Draft again in Uganda, however a few of his relations surrounded him when his identify was introduced.
He later thanked his dad and mom for making him a “good younger man”.
“I wanna thank them a lot for elevating me the best way they raised me – the appropriate means – and exhibiting me the great values of life.”
In a earlier interview, Maluach stated he needs to vary his mom’s life by bringing her to the US.
Has Khaman Maluach performed for South Sudan?
Maluach was the youngest participant on the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 when he represented his native South Sudan on the match within the Philippines.
He was additionally a part of their squad on the Paris Olympics 2024.
Will Trump’s ‘Africa visa ban’ have an effect on Khaman Maluach?
When the US authorities revoked all current visas issued to South Sudanese passport holders and barred additional entries of the nation’s nationals resulting from a failed deportation case in April, it signalled an escalation of the Trump administration’s sweeping crackdown on immigration.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio blamed the transitional authorities of the African nation for an absence of “full cooperation” and accused South Sudan of “taking benefit” of Washington whereas saying the transfer. It was the primary such blanket sanction on any nation since President Donald Trump took workplace.
On the time of the announcement, Maluach was nonetheless at Duke on a scholar visa and the college stated it was “conscious of the announcement”.
Nonetheless, together with his anticipated transfer to the NBA, Maluach’s visa class is more likely to change, which can trigger some hindrance to his staff, the Phoenix Suns.
What rank is South Sudan in basketball?
The African nation is ranked twenty third in FIBA’s rankings however are the top-ranked staff on the continent.
Why is South Sudan so good at basketball?
Along with being the youngest nation on the FIBA World Cup 2023, South Sudan grew to become the one African staff to qualify straight for the Paris Olympics 2024.
In line with the staff’s head coach, Royal Ivey, the gamers’ resilience and onerous work are to be credited for his or her success.
“They know work, they push ahead, they fought day in, day trip, and we obtained right here due to the onerous work and the sweat that we put in day-after-day,” the Shiny Stars’ coach stated throughout the World Cup.
Deng, a former two-time NBA All-Star, took over as president of the South Sudan Basketball Federation in 2019 and recruited South Sudanese gamers from the diaspora, briefly teaching the staff himself.
South Sudan’s main scorer, Carlik Jones of the Chicago Bulls, credit Deng as one of many important causes for the sport’s improvement within the conflict-ridden nation.
“He’s giving again to the event of the sport, he helps with on-court stuff, off-the-court stuff,” Jones told Al Jazeera in 2023.