Africa-Press – Rwanda. Making history is nothing new for South Sudan starlet Khaman Maluach. When he was 14, he was the youngest player to ever enroll in an NBA Academy.
And, on Wednesday night, he made history again when he was selected 10th by the Houston Rockets (traded to the Phoenix Suns) at the 2025 NBA Draft – making him the highest-drafted former NBA Academy Africa and Basketball Africa League (BAL) player ever.
He joins the short list of NBA Academy alumni taken in the first round – Josh Giddey (2021), Bennedict Mathurin and Dyson Daniels (2022) and Olivier-Maxence Prosper (2023).
NBA Academy Africa, opened in 2018 in Saly, Senegal.
“The NBA Academy opened my eyes and showed me my full potential on what I needed to do to be successful,” Maluach said.
“It was hard being a 14-year-old and going to another country but going to the Academy I learned different cultures and languages and how other people live. It also taught me the game of basketball.”
Maluach was born in South Sudan and grew up in Uganda. The 2.1m, 113 kg center was the 2023 Basketball Without Borders MVP before playing one season at Duke University. He averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 21 minutes per game for the Blue Devils, earning ACC All-Freshman Team accolades.
He was the third Duke player selected on Wednesday. Former teammate Cooper Flagg went No. 1 to the Dallas Mavericks and Kon Knueppel went No. 4 to the Charlotte Hornets.
Maluach’s defense is currently ahead of his offense. He played three years of professional basketball in South Sudan before heading to Duke where he was known for shot blocking and rebounding.
“I play with a lot of energy, and I bring positivity no matter what happens,” Maluach said.
Tears flowed down his cheek after he was drafted.
“The moment exceeded my expectations,” Maluach said. “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.”
“The moment exceeded my expectations,” Maluach said. “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 said he can’t wait to bring positive attention to the region where he grew up.
“I want to show them the great parts and culture and change the narrative on how they see my continent,” Maluach said.
Noa Essengue, who participated in the Basketball Without Borders Global camp at NBA All-Star 2024, was selected 12th by the Chicago Bulls. Essengue is a 6-foot-9 forward and his selection makes it 10 consecutive years that a player from France was drafted.
Yang Hansen was selected 16th by the Memphis Grizzlies (traded to the Portland Trail Blazers). He is the ninth player from China to be drafted into the NBA and first since 2016.
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