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    This South Sudan teen is projected to be a top NBA draft pick in 2025

    Get the chance to see him in Manila before he makes his NBA leap
    Aug 28, 2023
    khaman maulach south sudan world cup
    PHOTO: fiba.basketball

    YOUNG Khaman Maluach is not yet ready for the NBA draft.

    But eventually, he sees himself playing in the world’s biggest basketball stage down the road.

    “Not right now, but I’ll be in the NBA soon,” said the 16-year-old, 7-foot-2 center of the South Sudan national team.

    While focus has been on the Central African country making its debut in the FIBA World Cup, attention has likewise shifted on Maluach, who many US scouts are already hailing as a possible top prospect for the 2025 NBA draft.

    READ: South Sudan makes history with win over China

    A member of the NBA Africa Academy in Senegal, which he joined as a high school freshman in 2021, Maluach is the third youngest player in history to play in the World Cup dating back to 1950.

    He also became part of history as South Sudan finally broke through in the quadrennial meet following its 89-69 win over China on Monday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

    The victory put the Bright Stars in strong contention of advancing to the second round of the group phase as they are now tied with Puerto Rico at 1-1 in Group B, which Serbia leads, 2-0.

    khaman maulach south sudan world cup

    China is winless in the group at 0-2.

    Being part of history is something Maluach cherishes.

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    “It means everything. This is history. This is our first time here,” he said.

    Maluach played 16 minutes in his first World Cup game, grabbing six rebounds and getting two blocked shots, while splitting his free throws for his first point in the tournament.

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      “I didn’t score that much, but I don’t see that as a big deal,” said the South Sudanese. “But at the end of the day, we got the win. It’s not all about me, it’s about the team.”

      For Maluach, named MVP of the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders Africa camp early this month, the stint with the Sudan national team is just the beginning.

      He gets to be under the wing of former NBA player Luol Deng, who is now president of the South Sudan Basketball Federation and a member of the South Sudan national team coaching staff.

      Deng, a first-round pick in the NBA 2004 draft who played 15 seasons for Chicago, Cleveland, Miami, LA Lakers, and Minnessota, said the World Cup stint will be a great experience for Maluach.

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      So far, it does, according to the young Sudanese.

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        “It’s really a bigger deal. I’ve seen the (NBA) players and seen how tough they are. We have some on our team,” said Maluach, obviously referring to Deng, coach Royal Ivey, and teammate Carlik Jones.

        The big man who boasts of a 9-foot-5 standing reach has already been getting interest from top US college programs such as Duke, UCLA, and even Georgetown.

        It’s something he’ll have to think about after the World Cup, Maluach said.

        “Right now I’m open to everything and if it’s God’s plan, I’m open to everything. I will decide what will be good to myself,” stressed the South Sudanese, who is one of four NBA Academy products currently seeing action in the World Cup, along with Yongxi Cui (China), Josh Giddey (Australia), and Dyson Daniels (Australia).”

        So where does he sees himself two years from now?

        “(In the) NBA,” said Maluach confidently.

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        PHOTO: fiba.basketball
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