In the 2024 pre-Olympic exhibition game, the South Sudanese team was up by 1 point against the mighty Team USA with just 10 seconds left on the clock. The 43-point underdogs—built from players who grew up in refugee camps—pushed the world’s best to the brink. Then, James sealed it with a late layup.

But among those challenging future Hall-of-Famers was a 17-year-old Duke freshman, Khaman Maluach, standing tall for a nation younger than him. Less than a year later, he was doing the same for the Blue Devils. In Duke’s Sweet 16 win over Arizona, Maluach’s four blocks helped secure a 100-93 victory, forming a defensive fortress alongside Cooper Flagg. Seven combined rejections later, Duke’s ticket to the Elite Eight was punched.

But as Maluach’s name echoed across March Madness, one question lingered: who is Khaman Maluach?

Who is Khaman Maluach’s father, Madit?

Khaman Maluach’s journey to basketball stardom began in the shadows of war. Born in Rumbek, South Sudan, in 2006, his early years were shaped by conflict. As civil war tore through the country, his family fled to Uganda, seeking safety in Kawempe, a suburb of Kampala.

His father, Madit Maluach, stayed behind in South Sudan for work, making Khaman’s childhood one of distance and sacrifice. While little is publicly known about Madit, his absence speaks to the struggles many South Sudanese families faced during the nation’s turbulent years.

South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, has been locked in cycles of violence since its independence in 2011. The brutal civil war that followed displaced millions, forcing families like the Maluachs to leave everything behind.

“I actually don’t know the year I left South Sudan… I don’t remember anything, moving to Uganda. All I know is that I grew up in Uganda,” Maluach told ESPN. From a war-torn homeland to the bright lights of Duke basketball, his story is one of resilience, survival, and an unbreakable will to rise.

Who is Khaman Maluach’s mother?

While his father remained in South Sudan, Maluach’s mother became the backbone of their new life in Uganda. Raising seven children in Kawempe, she ensured stability in a community where opportunities were scarce. Though her name isn’t widely known, her influence is undeniable—Maluach credits his mother and her side of the family for supporting his journey.

It was in Kawempe that basketball found Maluach. (According to bbc.com) One day, walking home from school, a man on a bike stopped him. “You should start playing basketball. I can get you shoes, I can get you the ball,” the stranger said.

Maluach took the offer. The nearest court was an hour away, often overcrowded, and he played his first game in a pair of Crocs. But the raw talent was there. Local coaches Wal Deng and Aketch Garang saw it immediately. “The first time I saw Khaman, I saw so much potential,” Deng told BBC Sport Africa. “I told Aketch, this kid will be the next big thing.”

At night, Maluach and his brother would take advantage of Uganda’s midnight mobile data discounts, studying YouTube clips of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid. “If they can make it there, I can make it there too,” Maluach said.

His talent took him from the packed courts of Kawempe to the NBA Academy Africa in Dakar, Senegal. The move came with sacrifices—he hasn’t seen his family in two years, choosing to focus on basketball and education. Fast forward three years, and the kid who once played in Crocs was now a projected third pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Before that, he’d lead South Sudan at the Paris Olympics, where a nation watched as their 7’2” prodigy takes the stage.

From refugee camps to Cameron Indoor. From YouTube drills to the NBA’s radar. Khaman Maluach’s story isn’t just about basketball—it’s about belief, perseverance, and rewriting history. And he’s just getting started.