When the Houston Rockets drafted Khaman Maluach with the 10th pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, emotion rippled through the Barclays Center in New York and across living rooms in Uganda and South Sudan.
Born in Rumbek, South Sudan, and raised in Uganda since he was two, Maluach became just the second player with Ugandan ties to make it to the NBA, after Ismail Wainright.
But his journey was anything but ordinary.
It began on the dusty streets of Kampala when a boda boda rider pulled over and told the towering 14-year-old, “You’re too tall to be doing nothing go play basketball.”
That offhand comment changed everything.
“I didn’t even know what basketball really was,” Malawach said. “But I went and tried. Four years later, here I am.”
Now 7 feet tall with a wingspan that dominates the paint, Maluach is headed to Houston. His selection is a milestone not just for him, but for Uganda where he first picked up a basketball.
Spotted by NBA Academy Africa in Senegal in 2021, he quickly rose through the ranks, earning a scholarship to Duke University. There, he made a name for himself with elite shot-blocking, mobility, and basketball IQ.
But his global breakthrough came wearing a South Sudan jersey holding his own against stars like Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid in a near-upset loss to Team USA.
“That game changed everything,” said one NBA scout. “He wasn’t just a prospect anymore he was a threat.”
Maluach remembers that game for a different reason, it was the first time he saw his mother in years. “That moment meant more than any dunk or block,” he said.
On draft night, as Commissioner Adam Silver announced his name, Maluach fought back tears. He wasn’t just stepping into the NBA, he was defying odds that once seemed impossible.
“He’s not just a basketball story he’s a human story,” a broadcaster said during the live coverage. “His family fled war. He grew up in Uganda. And now he’s here.”
Maluach joins a young Rockets team hungry for size and leadership. Off the court, he hopes to inspire kids across East Africa just like that boda boda man unknowingly inspired him.
“I’m just getting started,” he said. “This isn’t the end of the dream. It’s the beginning.”
