South Sudan's Khaman Maluach picked 10th in NBA draft amid ban on visas from his country

[tulipsandroses]

The Trump Administration’s current crackdown on immigration has been complicating things for the high-profile NBA draft pick Khaman Maluach.

On Wednesday, June 25, the 18-year-old Duke basketball star was drafted by the Houston Rockets (and then traded to the Phoenix Suns) as the No. 10 pick in the first round, ESPN reported. When NBA commissioner Adam Silver called his name, he was brought to tears during the victorious moment.

SNIP
Before enrolling at Duke, Maluach played for the NBA Africa Academy, an elite training center that nurtures the continent’s top talent on the court. In order to travel to play for Duke in North Carolina, Maluach was granted a standard F1 student visa. With the issuance of those visas currently on pause, Maluach, with the help of the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders initiative, applied for a business-tourist visa to participate in the NBA draft combine in May, according to NBC News.

Now, as a full-fledged player in the NBA, he will need a P-1A Athlete work visa, which allows international athletes to temporarily enter the U.S. to play their sport. Despite the ongoing ban for passport holders, the NBA is committed to making this work for the young player.

“We’ve been on this journey … with Khaman since age 14, and we’re going to continue on this journey with him through the rest of his career, and we’ll continue on this journey with him post his career,” Troy Justice, the NBA’s senior vice president and head of international basketball told NBC News. “These are lifelong commitments that we make to all of our international players.”
https://thegrio.com/2025/06/26/south-sudans-khaman-maluach-picked-10th-in-nba-draft-amid-ban-on-visas-from-his-country/

[AZProgressive]

1. I think he is going to the Suns

Seems like a good person but I didn't really know any player except the #1 pick. I do remember the Colorado State player but that is about it.

Not sure what this means for Bol Bol who plays a similar position but didn't get much playing time the last 2 years.