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Khaman Maluach

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Khaman Maluach
No. 9 – Duke Blue Devils
PositionCenter
LeagueAtlantic Coast Conference
Personal information
Born (2006-09-14) 14 September 2006 (age 18)
Rumbek, Sudan (now South Sudan)
Listed height7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)
Listed weight250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High schoolNBA Academy Africa
(Saly, Senegal)
CollegeDuke (2024–present)
Career highlights and awards

Khaman Madit Maluach (born 14 September 2006) is a South Sudanese college basketball player for the Duke Blue Devils of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Standing at 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m), he plays the center position. He is also a current member of the South Sudan national team, whom he joined at the age of 16.

Early life

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Born in Rumbek, South Sudan, Maluach grew up in Kawempe, in neighbouring Uganda, as a refugee with his siblings and mother. He attended Bethel Covenant College in Bwejjaba.[1]

In 2019 Maluach was encouraged to play basketball by a boda boda motorcyclist who had stopped down when he saw the tall Maluach walking along the road. He attended a local camp organised by Luol Deng and started playing basketball.[2] He later joined the NBA Academy Africa in Saly, Senegal, where basketball is combined with education.

Professional career

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Maluach played for South Sudanese professional team Cobra Sport in the 2022 BAL season, as part of the BAL Elevate program. Through this programme, one NBA Academy Africa player was assigned to each Basketball Africa League (BAL) team on an amateur contract.[3] He made his BAL debut on April 9 against defending champions Zamalek, scoring two points and recording two rebounds in seven minutes.[4]

In March 2023, Maluach played in his second BAL season after he was drafted first of the academy prospects[1] by the AS Douanes, the defending Senegalese champions. The Douanes reached the final, in which Maluach started and contributed 2 points and 4 rebounds, as they lost to Al Ahly.[5]

He attended the 2023 Basketball Without Borders in Johannesburg, South Africa, and was named the camp's MVP.[6][7]

On 4 March 2024, it was announced that Maluach was drafted by the Ugandan club City Oilers for the 2024 BAL season.[8] On 19 April, Maluach had 16 points and 8 rebounds in his Oilers debut in a 76–99 loss to Al Ahly.[9] One day later, on 20 April, Maluach set new career-highs with 29 points and 11 rebounds in a 88–101 loss against Bangui.[10] On 24 April, Maluach had 16 points, 19 rebounds and 7 blocks in a 68–79 loss to Al-Ahly Ly.[11] His 19 rebounds set a new career-high, and his 7 blocks set a new league record for most blocks by any player in a BAL game.[12] Despite the Oilers being eliminated, Maluach averaged 17.5 points, a league-leading 13.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game over his six performances.[13]

College career

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On 6 March 2024, Maluach announced his commitment to Duke. Ranked as the third-best prospect in the 2025 NBA draft by ESPN at the time, he chose Duke over UCLA, Kentucky, and Kansas.[14] He stated that this was due to his the impression Zion Williamson had had on him when he was younger.[15]

National team career

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In August 2023, Maluach was selected for the South Sudan national team roster for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. At age 16, he was the youngest player on the Bright Stars' roster.[16] On 28 August, he made his debut in a victory against China, becoming the third-youngest player to appear in a World Cup game.[17] Maluach and South Sudan were the best-ranked African team in the tournament, and thus qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, another milestone in the national team’s history.

Career statistics

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BAL

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[18]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 *  Led the league
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022 Cobra Sport 5 0 11.8 .364 .000 .500 3.4 0.6 0.2 1.0 2.2
2023 AS Douanes 7 2 11.5 .346 .250 .667 4.4 0.4 0.3 0.4 3.4
2024 City Oilers 6 5 34.3 .519 .235 .724 13.5* 0.8 0.7 2.8 17.8

References

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  1. ^ a b Mutebi, Charles (23 March 2024). "Next big thing? The incredible rise of 'City Oilers' Khaman Maluach". New Vision. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  2. ^ Khaman Maluach Interview | NBA Academy Games | 7.6.23, 10 July 2023, retrieved 12 August 2023
  3. ^ "BAL teams to field one NBA Academy player each in 2022". ESPN.com. 2 March 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  4. ^ Proballers. "Khaman Maluach, Basketball Player". Proballers. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  5. ^ Proballers. "Khaman Maluach, Basketball Player". Proballers. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  6. ^ "Egypt's Hassan, Malauch of South Sudan named MVPs of BWB Africa camp". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  7. ^ "South Sudan's Khaman Maluach and Egypt's Aisha Hassan named BWB Africa Most Valuable Players". OJB SPORT. 1 August 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  8. ^ "Top NBA Draft prospects land on new BAL teams". ESPN.com. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Al Ahly vs. City Oilers". FIBA Livestats. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  10. ^ "How the first Maluach v Darlan duel of the season turned out". The BAL. 21 April 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  11. ^ "LiveStats". geniussports.com. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  12. ^ "Opong says City Oilers can't throw the towel in after dropping to 0-3". The BAL. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  13. ^ "Highlights from the 2024 Nile Conference". The BAL. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  14. ^ "Maluach, top big man in 2024 class, to join Duke". ESPN.com. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  15. ^ "Duke Prospect Explains Why he Picked the Blue Devils". NBA Draft On SI. 29 September 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  16. ^ "Lakers forward Wenyen Gabriel fortifies South Sudan World Cup squad". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  17. ^ "South Sudan's Khaman Maluach, 16, makes FIBA World Cup debut". ABC News. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  18. ^ "Khaman Maluach Player Profile, Duke - RealGM". basketball.realgm.com. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
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