Khaman Maluach was born on September 14, 2006, in Rumbek, Sudan, and holds South Sudanese nationality. He is 2.18 m (7 feet 2 inches) tall and weighs 113 kg (250 lb), playing as a center in basketball. Currently, he is a member of the South Sudan national team, which he joined at 16. Maluach began his basketball journey after participating in a local camp organized by Luol Deng. Later, he joined the NBA Academy Africa in Saly, Senegal, an institution that combines basketball training with education, and also attended Bethel Covenant College in Bwebajja, Uganda.<\/p>
Maluach played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils from 2024 to 2025. During his 2024-25 season at Duke, he accumulated 335 points with an eFG% of .654 or .723, depending on the source. His college career highlights include being named to the ACC All-Freshman Team in 2025.<\/p>
In the 2025 NBA draft, Khaman Maluach was drafted by the Houston Rockets as the 10th overall pick in the first round. He is noted as an incredibly impressive athlete for a 2.18 m young man, possessing quickness, agility, and mobility, and he changes ends of the court well. He plays above the rim with ease and is a significant factor in the paint on both offense and defense. Although his offensive game is considered raw, he shows promising flashes, excelling as a finisher near the rim, a lob threat, and a good shot blocker. He also demonstrates the ability to shoot from beyond the arc, indicating potential as a floor spacer, despite not yet being a consistent shooter. He is considered an attractive prospect with potential, with good strength and a solid rebounder, although picking him high in the draft carries some risk due to his developing offensive game. He is described as a very mature individual with great character. After the draft, he most recently played for the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Summer League and is listed as a Phoenix Suns player from 2025-present. His career history also includes playing for Cobra Sport in 2022, AS Douanes in 2023, and City Oilers in 2024. His career highlights also include being the BAL rebounding leader in 2024 and the Basketball Without Borders MVP in 2023.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":636945,"template":"","categories":[1],"class_list":["post-636944","nba-player","type-nba-player","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n