From BAL to the NBA: Maluach Makes History
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Khaman Maluach’s Basketball Africa League (BAL) career spanned from 2022 to 2024, during which he played for Cobra Sport (South Sudan), AS Douanes (Senegal), and City Oilers (Uganda). He debuted in 2022 as part of the BAL Elevate program, gradually increasing his impact each year. In 2023, he helped AS Douanes reach the BAL final. His breakout came in 2024 with the City Oilers, where he averaged 17.8 points, a league-leading 13.5 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game, earning All-BAL First Team honors and setting a league record with 7 blocks in a single game. Before the coming to the BAL, Khaman Maluach’s journey through the NBA Academy Africa was a transformative chapter in his rise to basketball stardom. At just 14, he became the youngest player ever admitted to the Academy, located in Saly, Senegal. Coming from a refugee background in Uganda, he overcame language barriers and cultural differences to thrive in the Academy’s elite training environment, which featured world-class facilities and coaching.
Khaman Maluach played professionally in South Sudan and in the BAL for the Cobra Sport, AS Douances, and City Oilers, for three seasons and was named the 2023 Basketball Without Borders MVP before attending Duke during the 2024-25 campaign. In his lone collegiate campaign, Maluach earned ACC All-Freshman Team honors after averaging 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 21.3 minutes per game. The defensive-minded big man posted 71/25/77 shooting splits on low volume for the Blue Devils, who lost in the Final Four to Houston. Maluach became the highest drafted former BAL player ever in 2025 when the Houston Rockets selected him before being acquired by the Phoenix Suns selected him 10th overall in the NBA Draft.
"To play with that level of physicality and readiness is unique, and for Khaman to make that adjustment to college so quickly is incredibly impressive. His best years are by far in front of him"— Duke head coach Jon Scheyer
Player Projection:
Donovan Clingan (7-2, 280) is the most recent player who shares similarities with Maluach, but the Duke product also draws comparisons to Hassan Whiteside (7-0, 265) and Mo Bamba (7-0, 231). Zach Edey (7-4, 305) is much bigger than Maluach, but it’s worth noting that some scouts believe Maluach could develop a 3-point shot very quickly post-college like Edey did last season, which vaulted his draft stock. Maluach is a developmental project with a high floor given his defensive projections (Profile by RotoWire.com).
Watch Khaman Maluach – NBA 2K26 Summer League Schedule (Phoenix Suns)
| Date | Timezone (ET) | Timezone (GMT) | Timezone (CAT) | Where to Watch |
| July 11th (Friday) | 9:00 PM | 01:00 (Jul 12) | 3:00 AM (Jul 12) | NBA League Pass |
| July 13th (Sunday | 3:30 PM | 19:30 | 9:30 PM | NBA League Pass |
| July 14th (Monday) | 10:00 PM | 02:00 (Jul 15) | 4:00 AM (Jul 15) | NBA League Pass |
| July 16 (Wednesday) | 5:00 PM | 21:00 | 11:00 PM | NBA League Pass |
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See Khaman's Journey from NBA Africa Academy to BAL
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