17-year-old South Sudan center and anticipated lottery NBA prospect Khaman Maluach recently reflected on his gratitude to be logging Olympic experience so early, writes Marc J. Spears of Andscape.
“To me, this whole experience is sometimes feels like I’m living in a dream at 17 years old. Big dreams. And I’m just a small-town kid chasing big dreams in the big city,” Maluach told Spears.
As Spears notes, South Sudan only gained its independence from Sudan in 2011. The country does not yet have a single indoor basketball court, but that didn’t stop it from qualifying for the Olympics this year.
“Right now, we’re going to celebrate our win, be grateful for our first Olympic game and our first win,” Maluach said after Team South Sudan bested Team Puerto Rico on Sunday, 90-79. “So, I’m going to celebrate until 12 midnight. We put this game aside and get ready for the next game.”
The 7’2″ big man will play for Duke in the fall.
There’s more out of the Olympics:
- Former two-time All-Star Luol Deng, who has been self-funding South Sudan’s basketball program since 2021, is watching his vision for the team get fully realized in these Olympics, writes Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. “Every time we play, the whole nation stops to watch us play,” head coach Royal Ivey said. “We’re bringing them together. We’re uniting the fans and the people of South Sudan. And that’s way bigger than wins and losses.” Per Thompson, Deng had been offered front office work from his old team, the Bulls, as well as the Bucks after he retired in 2019. But he felt the pull to return to South Sudan and build up the basketball club. “It was never about being famous or making money and leaving home,” Deng said of his NBA career. “It was all about being successful and returning home. So it’s kind of cool that I can come back and get things done now — which is just, in a way, it’s a dream come true.”
- Eastern Conference All-Stars Jayson Tatum, and Joel Embiid are undergoing a rare-for-them humbling experience through Team USA’s group play games, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Both have been healthy scratches for one of the club’s two group play blowout victories at the Paris Olympics. Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton has, too. “Definitely a humbling experience, right?” Tatum said. “Win a championship, new contract, cover of (NBA) 2K (video game) and then you sit a whole game. Cover of Sports Illustrated. So it was definitely a humbling experience.”
- After playing three unexpectedly close warm-up games prior to the official start of the Olympics, a loaded Team USA looked vulnerable against a more NBA talent-laden field than ever. Two games into the pool play phase, Team USA has left little doubt that it is by far the best club out there, writes Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Head coach Steve Kerr‘s multifaceted team has looked virtually unbeatable since Kevin Durant returned to the lineup. The Suns All-NBA forward had missed all five of Team USA’s exhibition matchups with a calf ailment.