Out of Africa: Duke recruit Khaman Maluach grew game at NBA Academy in Senegal

INDIANAPOLIS — With the passing of each city block and mile of highway out of downtown Indianapolis in late February, the joyful spectacle of NBA All-Star Weekend dissolves into suburban landscape.

Past the big box stores, chain restaurants, coffee shops and popular outdoor music venue, there is a sports complex in Noblesville, Indiana, where 17-year-old Khaman Maluach is working out. He is playing at the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders camp in front of scouts and executives who are watching the top-five projected pick in the 2025 draft.

From his birth in South Sudan to Uganda, where his family fled, to the NBA Academy Africa in Saly, Senegal, to a basketball facility in Indiana, Maluach’s journey cannot be measured by distance traveled.

One day your dreams are thousands of miles away, and another they are so close you can touch them.

Hours after his final scrimmage in front of those scouts, Maluach, who will play for Duke next season, stepped onto the Gainbridge Fieldhouse court level.

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His smile and sense of awe are genuine. "Great experience," he said.

From courtside before tipoff of the All-Star Game and moments before meeting his basketball hero, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, whose incredible story has captivated the NBA, Maluach walked to a quieter section of the arena to talk with a reporter.

FIBA and the NBA have engaged in grassroots efforts to discover potential professional basketball players throughout the world, especially in Africa. Two of the past three NBA MVPs, Joel Embiid and Antetokounmpo, were either born in Africa or have parents who were born there. The father of the NBA’s next superstar, Victor Wembanyama, was born in Congo.

For Maluach, it began with a basic question: Would you like to play basketball? The first time Maluach attended a basketball clinic, he said, “I felt like I belong to this game.”

Khaman Maluach has potential to boost NBA franchise

Maluach is a 7-1, 250-pound center with an offensive and defensive skillset that has franchise-altering potential. Last summer, he played for South Sudan at the FIBA World Cup, becoming at 16 the third-youngest player in the event. This summer, he is expected to play for South Sudan at the 2024 Paris Olympics, just before beginning his college career at Duke. He committed to Duke three weeks ago and plans to sign a letter of intent during the April 17-May 15 signing period.

Later this spring, Maluach will play for Uganda’s City Oilers in the Basketball Africa League, a joint operation by the NBA and FIBA. As part of the BAL’s Elevate program which provides opportunities for NBA Academy Africa prospects to play more games and develop, Maluach also spent time in the BAL in 2022 and 2023.

Amadou Gallo Fall is the president of the BAL. A native of Senegal, he graduated from the University of the District of Columbia where he played basketball and worked as an executive for the Dallas Mavericks before joining the NBA as its managing director of NBA Africa in 2010.

"A young player can start playing the game, be identified, trained at an elite level at the academy and make it to a club that plays in the BAL," Fall said. "The pathway that we’ve clearly defined is something we can point to and we’re only scratching the surface."

Troy Justice, NBA senior vice president and head of international basketball operations, underscored the opportunity the league is creating.

"We are trying to build basketball ecosystems that allow everyone to have access," Justice told USA TODAY Sports. "Within that, we built a global scouting network so that there's no stone unturned that allows those players to enter that pathway at any point in time and be able to receive the best coaching, the best opportunity to grow and learn in the game and to put them on a pathway to success.

"And so we really believe that in our department, we're dream makers."

Franck Traore is the NBA associate vice president and head of basketball operations in Africa. From Burkina Faso, Traore played at Manhattan College in the mid-2000s. He has worked for the NBA since 2011 and is on the ground in Africa. From his network of scouts and coaches, Traore learned about Maluach.

"He had shown glimpses of potential," Traore said.

But this was during the COVID-19 pandemic and the NBA’s international scouting program slowed. As soon as the pandemic subsided, the NBA’s staff in Africa received clearance to bring in Maluach for a workout.

“First of all, his attitude,” Traore explained. “You see this big young giant smiling. Loved the game by one thing that I saw. He was doing things that normally a seven-foot guy is not supposed to be doing now – putting the ball between his legs. Clumsy a little bit, but he was able to do that. Being able to do 360s with the ball. You can see that he's just goofing around but he is not even aware of what he's doing and what he's capable of doing.”

Maluach had less than ideal conditions for practice in Uganda. The nearest court was at least a 45-minute walk from his home, and he sometimes practiced shooting a ball through a tire. And often, his only access to an outdoor court was during the brutal mid-day heat. The scouts and coaches at the NBA Academy in Senegal understood Maluach’s potential and invited him to the academy where facilities are not a problem.

"I didn’t know whether I was good," he said. "I thought I was just a pick-up player. As soon as I arrived at the academy, that's when I realized my full potential and what I can be, and then they turned me into who I am.' "

NBA investment in Africa paying off

The academy is in Saly, Senegal, an Atlantic Ocean coastal city of about 30,000 people. It is about one hour and 20 minutes southeast of Dakar. This location opened in 2018 and features two indoor courts, a swimming pool, a weight room, conference rooms, dorms and educational facilities.

There are 21 players 16- to 18-years-old at the academy, and an average day includes meals, training, school and rest. Roland Houston is the technical director of the NBA Academy Africa. He played at Rhode Island, then professionally overseas before becoming a coach. He spent time as an assistant coach at George Mason, LaSalle and George Washington, and his staff consists of four coaches who played college basketball and have coaching backgrounds.

The NBA and FIBA’s investment is extensive and daunting, given the size of Africa with 50-plus nations. Justice will first receive a video via mobile of a player and then that player’s information will enter into a database that includes video, notes, stats and biographical information. The world is large but technology, when used appropriately, has shrunk it for human benefit.

Seven NBA Academy Africa alums were part of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament: Halil Barre (Duquesne; Benin), Ugonna Onyenso (Kentucky; Nigeria), Ayodele Taiwo (Howard; Nigeria), Nelly Junior Joseph (New Mexico; Nigeria), Rueben Chinyelu (Washington State; Nigeria), Babacar Faye (Western Kentucky; Senegal), and Josh Ojianwuna (Baylor; Nigeria).

Thierry Darlan (Central Africa Republic), Babacar Sane (Senegal) and Efe Abogidi (Nigeria) played for the NBA’s G League Ignite this season, and Ulrich Chomche is a projected first-round pick in the 2024 draft. All came through the NBA Academy Africa.

A significant portion of Maluach’s training at the academy focused on shooting. “The true skill in basketball is the shooting and being able to score and then have a very strong basketball IQ and that's what they're working on,” Traore said.

Maluach’s ability to grasp what is taught and apply it on the court impressed the academy staff. "He takes in everything, and he’ll be a different player the next time you see him," Traore said. "He shoots the ball very, very well. ...

"I'm talking about scoring when you need it. When you are down, can you shoot the ball under pressure and under control? He's comfortable in his shot. So that's something that in Africa we will really push him because you have size, you have athletic ability, but can you finish round the basket?"

Maluach made a difficult decision to leave his family, but has shown impressive maturity, understanding what this opportunity means.

"In the beginning, it was really hard leaving home," he said. "At first I was excited, but when I realized that I'm going to leave my family for a while, it was hard to take. But my mother said, ‘You’ve got to go if this is what you love. You’ve got to follow your heart and go play basketball.’ "

He has followed a loose adaptation of an ancient proverb: Be where your feet are.

"If you follow your feet and stay where your feet are, you go far," he said. "I realized this game can change my family's life and other people's lives around me."

Tears form in Justice’s eyes when he tries to put Maluach’s story into perspective.

"It’s life-changing," Justice said. "He saw it and he stayed within his inner circle of trust within the NBA Academy system and his teammates and his coaches and the NBA Africa team. He holds himself incredibly mature beyond his years in a very humble manner (and) in a position of thankfulness.

"It's humbling for us as well, and that's always where I get emotional because that's where you know that you're changing someone's life."

Meeting his hero at NBA All-Star Game

It’s almost tip-off of the All-Star Game. Maluach is 20 feet from the court. He says hello to Toronto Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri. Moments later, he shakes hands with NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum who oversees the league’s grassroots program.

In a few minutes, he will meet Antetokounmpo.

"Me being here watching an All-Star Game for a kid of where I'm from, it's a big thing," Maluach said. "I could never imagined two years ago I'd be watching an All-Star Game, and you never know, in the next three to four years, I'll be playing on the same court.

"I'm just a kid from Africa with big dreams."

Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt