Former City Oiler Maluach's NBA dream comes true

From South Sudan to Uganda. And now to the NBA.

Khaman Maluach’s journey to basketball promised land is a modern-day fairy tale.

In the coming days, Maluach will put pen to paper on a four-year contract worth nearly $28m with the Phoenix Suns. In his rookie season, Maluach is projected to earn $12.3m.

As the tears streamed down his dark face uncontrollably inside the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, New York, late Wednesday night, it is likely the financial ramifications of his admittance to the NBA were ringing somewhere in Maluach’s mind.

The NBA draft is never short of surprises, and some projections had Malauch going in the top five; others had him going in the teens. Each position on the draft board comes with different implications, from financial rewards to team fit. So, Maluach must have wondered as the draft got underway how long he would have to wait to hear his name.

Nine selections in, the moment arrived.

Khaman Madit Maluach (third left) with teammates during his school days in Uganda. Courtesy photo

South Sudan, Uganda, and frankly the whole world were watching when one of the most compelling stories in the NBA draft this year met a fitting climax.

“Living in Africa, I had the whole continent on my back, giving hope to young kids, inspiring young kids, the next generation of African basketball,” an emotional Maluach said following the draft.

“I’m excited to put on the Phoenix jersey that has my name, that has ‘Maluach’ on the back. It just makes me proud because I had beliefs. I believed in myself. I was delusional about my dreams. No matter what the odds are against you. It shows you can win.”

Maluach’s suit on draft night featured the flags of both South Sudan and Uganda sewn into the inner lining, a tribute to the country of his birth and the one that raised him.

Malauch paid homage to his past both in word and fashion.

As a two-year-old, Maluach’s family fled troubled South Sudan to Uganda, where he would spend his childhood and early teens. His rather accidental basketball beginnings, triggered by a suggestion from a random motorcyclist that Maluach should make the most of his height by playing the sport, add to the awe of this budding biopic.

Suns thrilled

Phoenix could not believe Maluach would still be available by the 10th pick, which is why they traded for Mark Williams, a center, before drafting the South Sudanese.

“We had targeted him, we thought if he was at 10, that was someone that we would take in immediately,” Phoenix General manager Brian Gregory said. “I told (Phoenix owner) Mat [Ishbia] this morning, I don’t think he’s gonna be there. And then just through our constant calls and different things like that, it started trending that way.”

The Suns, who traded superstar Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets last week, expect Maluach to have an immediate impact.

“To come away with a young talent like him, comes from a great program, well-coached at Duke, very versatile,” Gregory raved. “Last year we were I think 27th in rim protection, so he brings a great defensive presence for us. We were also, I think, last in the league in our effectiveness around the rim and our ability to score at the rim, and he’s definitely proven himself in one year of college of being able to do that. We constantly want to keep getting longer, more athletic, be able to play faster, defend better, and he definitely checks all those boxes.”

Gregory added: “I talked to coach Scheyer yesterday, had a long talk with him, just as some follow-up intel, and everything was off the chart. His work ethic, his ability to be coached, his desire to become the very best fits in exactly what we’re looking to build here in Phoenix.”

Opponents shot 45.3 percent at the rim against Maluach last year, improving in drop coverage as the year went on, got some experience with hard hedging, and fared well on switches because of his lateral quickness and all-encompassing limbs.

“The versatility on defense is already there,” Gregory added. “He can switch, obviously guard on the perimeter, all those things, which, if you’ve watched the last eight weeks of the NBA Playoffs and so forth is so critical to have versatility on the defensive end as well.”

Maluach has come a long way, his footprint on Kawempe, Bethel Covenant College Bwebajja, and the City Oilers, for whom he played in the 2023/2024 Basketball Africa League season.

He had known for some time that the NBA was his destination. Still, when he finally got there, it was overwhelming.

Maybe it was the joy of it all—the feeling of achievement after years of graft.

Maybe it was the excitement about the life ahead, playing on one of the biggest platforms in world sport. 

Maybe it was the recollection of all the hardships he went through, from Rumbek, South Sudan, to Kawempe.

Maybe it was the weight of his jacket, carrying two nations, and his back—carrying an entire continent.

In truth, it was all of that.

Dreams come true... and, in the words of Maluach, even delusions!