For most guys who are selected, NBA Draft night is a dream come true. Everyone has worked very hard to get there, and it’s a tremendous accomplishment simply to be chosen. Obviously, it’s emotional.
But it’s hard to imagine it being more emotional for anyone than it was last year for Duke’s Khaman Maluach.
Keep in mind his remarkable journey. A South Sudanese refugee, along with his family, Maluach grew up in Kawempe, Uganda. When he was 14, a boda boda, aka a cab driver, suggested he play basketball because he was exceptionally tall.
In just four years, he was on a Final Four team at Duke, and then taken 10th in the 2025 draft.
And while most guys are pleased and smiling, Maluach was overcome, and wept.
Here he was, this kid who just a few years prior was sleeping in a refugee camp with no certain future. This was just about four years after he started playing, mind.
No one doubts his intelligence or his capacity for hard work, but even for a guy with his size and talent, it’s a long journey to go from a shantytown to a lottery selection in the NBA Draft, and his journey is nowhere near complete. It was a lot to process in a short amount of time.
Khaman Maluach’s draft moment was one of the most memorable in recent NBA Draft history. From growing up as a refugee in Uganda and discovering bball at 13 to playing at Duke, and now entering his 2nd NBA season, what an incredible journey it has been! pic.twitter.com/gZpOU9plsQ
— Blue Devil Voices (@DukeEchoes) June 21, 2026
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