South Sudan’s Maluach becomes highest drafted ex-NBA Academy Africa and BAL player
Khaman Maluach (right) with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the tenth pick by the Houston Rockets in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, USA on Jun 25, 2025.
What you need to know:
- Maluach averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game as a freshman last season.
- He represented South Sudan at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup and 2024 Paris Olympics.
Former NBA Academy Africa and Basketball Africa League (BAL) player Khaman Maluach from South Sudan has been selected 10th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft.
The NBA Draft which took place on Tuesday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, saw Maluach become the highest-drafted former NBA Academy Africa and BAL player ever. As part of a planned trade, the Houston Rockets will send the draft rights to Maluach to the Phoenix Suns.
Maluach, who is the 12th NBA Academy alumnus to be drafted or to sign with an NBA team, averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game as a freshman last season, helping Duke reach the 2025 NCAA Men’s Final Four.
He was 2024-25 All-ACC Honorable Mention, an ACC All-Rookie Team selection, 2025 NCAA East Regional All-Tournament Team member, and ACC All-Tournament First Team honoree.
He also represented South Sudan at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup and 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the youngest player in both tournaments.
Born in Rumbek, South Sudan, Maluach was raised in Uganda, where he began playing basketball at age 13 before joining NBA Academy Africa at age 14. During his time at NBA Academy Africa, he was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2023 Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa camp in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Defensive MVP of the BWB Global camp at NBA All-Star 2024 in Indianapolis. Maluach also played three seasons in the BAL, helping AS Douanes (Senegal) reach the BAL Finals in 2023.
“Being drafted into the NBA is a monumental achievement for Khaman and a reflection of the predictable pathway that the NBA has helped build for aspiring players across Africa to learn the game and maximize their potential,” said BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall.
“As rapidly as Khaman has developed as a player, I’m more impressed by his maturity, focus and how he proudly represents his country and continent at the highest levels of the game. On behalf of the entire BAL and NBA Africa family, I congratulate Khaman and wish him all the best as he begins the NBA career he has worked so hard to make a reality.”
Maluach’s Duke teammates Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel were selected first overall by the Dallas Mavericks, and fourth overall by the Charlotte Hornets, respectively.
Other players from, or with at least one parent from Africa who were selected in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft include Noa Essengue (France; ties to Cameroon; 12th overall by the Chicago Bulls), Thomas Sorber (U.S.; ties to Liberia; 15th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder), Joan Beringer (France; ties to Benin; 17th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves) and Yanic Konan Niederhauser (Switzerland; ties to Côte d’Ivoire; 30th overall by the LA Clippers).
Presumed Number one pick Cooper Flagg finds himself in familiar company at the 2025 NBA Draft with Duke teammates Knueppel and Maluach among 13 players who received invitations to the green room on Tuesday.
The two-day draft is held in Brooklyn at Barclays Center with the top 30 picks made on June 25 and the second round the next day.
The Dallas Mavericks won the draft lottery and pick first followed by the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets.
Flagg, the 2025 National Player of the Year, has been projected as the No. 1 pick in the draft for more than a year. The 6-foot-8 Flagg lived up to high expectations, averaging 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in his lone college season.
Flagg led Duke to the Final Four along with Knueppel and Maluach, who were key players in the Blue Devils' highly touted freshman class. Knueppel, a 6-5 sharpshooter, hit 40.6 percent of his 3-point attempts in 39 games and averaged 14.4 points per game.
Rutgers teammates Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey were also recipients of draft invites on Tuesday and are expected to closely follow Flagg off the board in the opening round.
Baylor's VJ Edgecombe, Texas guard Tre Johnson, Oklahoma point guard Jeremiah Fears, Illinois point guard Kasparas Jakucionis and Maryland's 6-9 Derik Queen are also on the list, which is generated by the NBA via polling of decision-makers for all 30 teams.
Maluach played for South Sudan in the 2024 Summer Games. He's viewed as a project at 7-foot, 253 pounds, but showed significant improvement in the second half of the season.