A Dream to Reality: Khaman Maluach's NBA Draft

Khaman Maluach got drafted into the NBA draft in an emotional event on June 25, 2025 where he was selected 10th pick by the Houston rockets.

He was traded to the Phoenix Suns at the 2025 Nba draft having him as the highest ever former NBA academy Africa to be drafted and becomes also the highest from the Basketball Africa Player league.

Maluach was raised in Uganda though he was born in South Sudan. The Family flew for refuge in Uganda after conflict in their home country South Sudan.

He played for the Southern Sudan team in the Olympics against a team from US. The team was defeated with just a point which made him more known and recognized globally.

Maluach was discovered by The NBA Africa in 2021. The player has walked the path of legends who were first drafted earlier into the NBA, the likes of Dikembe, Olajuwon and Manute Bol. The NBA Africa opened in the year 2018.

He is one of the NBA Academy alumni that were selected in the first round, along with Olivier-Maxence Prosper (2023), Josh Giddey (2021), and Bennedict Mathurin and Dyson Daniels (2022). For Khaman Maluach, making history is nothing new. He was the youngest player to ever sign up for an NBA Academy in Senegal at the age of 14.

Khamans journey started at 14 when a motorcycle driver told him that he was tall and that he should start playing basketball.

The 7-foot-1, 250-pound centre won the 2023 Basketball Without Borders MVP title prior to playing for Duke for a season. After averaging 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 21 minutes per game for the Blue Devils, he was selected to the ACC All-Freshman Team.

He was selected as the third Duke player on Wednesday 25, June. The Dallas Mavericks selected former teammate Cooper Flagg first, and the Charlotte Hornets selected Kon Knueppel fourth.

Maluach's defence currently performs better than his offensive. He played three years of professional basketball in South Sudan before to attending Duke, where he was renowned for his ability to grab rebounds and block shots.

Currently Maluach's defence outperforms his offence. Before coming to Duke, he played three years of professional basketball in South Sudan.

This is where he gained notoriety for his abilities to grab rebounds and block shots. Maluach also currently plays for the Duke University in the United States and played for the NBA Draft Academy Africa.