Among the multitude of international players in the 2025 NBA Draft, the story of the rise of South Sudan’s Khaman Maluach stole the spotlight. The 7-foot-2 center made history as the first NBA Academy Africa alum to earn a first-round pick. He also became the highest-drafted player from the Basketball Africa League.
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The Phoenix Suns acquired the Duke big man in the blockbuster trade that sent Kevin Durant to Houston for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and six picks, one of which became Maluach. He was incredibly emotional after his name was called.
When speaking with presenter Monica McNutt shortly after being drafted, the now-former Duke Blue Devil described it as one of the best “moments” of his life. He also recalled a meeting with Devin Booker during the Paris Olympics. The NBA star’s words about seeing the young player in the NBA turned out to be prophetic.
“The moment exceeded my expectations,” stated Maluach. “This is one of the best days of my life. I didn’t think I was going to cry, but I did. I’m excited to put on a Suns jersey with my name on the back and step on the floor.”
Maluach carved his journey from refugee to elite basketball prospect with grit and determination. Born on September 14, 2006, in Rumbek, South Sudan, he and his family fled civil war and resettled in Kawempe, Uganda, where he grew up alongside his mother and siblings.
When Maluach arrived in Uganda, the country lacked a structured basketball scene. Today, Ugandan pro clubs compete regularly in the Basketball Africa League and the Women’s Basketball League Africa. That growth mirrors Maluach’s ascent.
But then Maluach may not have ended up playing the game had it not been for one chance encounter which changed everything. A motorcyclist noticed his height and urged him to try basketball. “He was like, ‘Yo, you should start playing basketball. In three to four years, you’ll be such a tall person’,” Maluach recalled during the 2024 Olympics.
That push led him to Luol Deng’s basketball camp in Uganda at age 13. A year later, he became the youngest-ever player to be enrolled at the NBA Academy Africa in Senegal. The academy’s structure and discipline shaped him both as a player and as a person.
At 15, he joined South Sudan’s Cobra Sport through the BAL Elevate program and stepped into high-level competition with international scouts watching. In 2023, he reached more milestones.
Maluach earned MVP honors at the Basketball Without Borders Africa camp and became South Sudan’s youngest player to appear at a FIBA Basketball World Cup. He backed it up in the Africa Champions Clubs Road to BAL qualifiers, averaging 21 points and 15.5 rebounds in two standout games.
NBA Academy Africa then placed him with Uganda’s City Oilers in 2024, where he continued to sharpen his game. However, due to the veteran-led culture of the league, he was not given the opportunities to play that much. That said, South Sudanese great Luol Deng, the President of the South Sudan Basketball Federation, added him to the 2024 Paris Olympics roster.
But Paris meant more than competition. It set the stage for an important moment with his future teammate Devin Booker (although neither of them knew it at the time). During exhibition games against Team USA in London, Maluach met Booker, the same player he is set to play with on the Phoenix roster.
“We had dinner, and I went to say what’s up to him at his table,” Maluach said. “He told me, ‘Go do it.’ Then he shook my hand and said, ‘I’ll see you in a year.’ I knew he meant the NBA. Now I’ll see him with the Phoenix Suns. I’ll be his teammate.”
Maluach continued his rise with Duke, starting every game in his freshman season. He helped the Blue Devils win both the ACC regular season and tournament titles and pushed them to a spot in the National Championship game.
He averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 71.2% from the field and 76.6% from the free-throw line — stats that showcased his efficiency and readiness for the NBA.
On draft night, it was clear that Maluach had been the true centerpiece of the Durant trade all along, signaling the Suns’ shift toward improving their big man depth.
His journey — from Uganda to the BAL to the NBA — reflects basketball’s global reach and the immense talent emerging from Africa. That same journey will now continue in Phoenix, where Maluach will share the floor with the man who once told him, “Go do it.”
For Maluach, the dream stretches far beyond personal glory. He carries the hopes of his family, his communities in South Sudan and Uganda, and the young players who will follow in his footsteps.
