Young South Sudanese basketball player Khaman Maluach achieved a historic milestone on Wednesday, selected 10th by the Houston Rockets before being traded to the Phoenix Suns during the 2025 NBA Draft, Africanews reported.
This remarkable selection adds another chapter to an incredible success story that began when he became the youngest player ever to enrol in an NBA academy at the age of 14.
Maluach began playing basketball only after someone suggested he did so because of his height of 2.1 metres. Born in South Sudan and raised in Uganda, he played three years of professional basketball in Africa before heading to Duke University in the United States.
At the draft ceremony in Brooklyn, New York, an emotional Maluach stated it was a day he would never forget.
I didn’t think I was going to cry, but sometimes I let the emotions out, and I was so happy and everything was just going through my head, my whole journey and my people on the continent, I represent the continent of Africa.
He was the university’s third Blue Devil player to be selected in the draft’s top 10 picks this year. Maluach expressed particular joy for his former Duke teammates also drafted high.
It was so emotional getting to see my teammates, my fellow freshmen getting drafted. I was so happy for them because they deserve everything they have.
The 18-year-old centre now joins a very short list of NBA Academy alumni to be taken in the prestigious first round of the draft, marking a significant achievement for both the player and the development programme.
