In South Sudan, where Duke basketball freshman [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag] is from, the Blue Devils basketball brand doesn’t hold the same weight as it does here.
During the team’s media day on Friday, the first-year 7-footer said that his younger cousins didn’t recognize the school when he told them where he committed. When he brought up one name, however, everything clicked.
“Back in my place, when I try to explain to my little cousins that I’m at Duke, they don’t get it,” Maluach said. “But when I tell them I’m at [autotag]Zion Williamson[/autotag]’s school, they get it.”
Williamson, who now plays for the New Orleans Pelicans in the NBA, was a national sensation in his only collegiate season. He averaged 22.6 points per game, tied for the most by a freshman in school history, and added on 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.8 blocks en route to national player of the year honors.
He went first overall in the 2019 NBA draft later that summer, one of five No. 1 picks in school history.
Maluach said Williamson’s highlights also helped him become aware of the Duke basketball brand despite living on a different continent when the Blue Devils star ruled the college landscape.
Duke Zion was a global phenomenon 🌍
👊 @khaman_maluach pic.twitter.com/6lEJxU4WRN
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) September 27, 2024
Maluach is no slouch for his part, either. He represented South Sudan at the 2024 Olympic Games this summer at just 17 years old, and as a five-star prospect, he’s expected to be a lottery pick in the 2025 NBA draft.
Junior Tyrese Proctor said on The Brotherhood Podcast earlier this week that the 7-foot-2 freshman’s mere defensive presence will bother teams.
“Even if he’s just there, he’s in the back of your mind,” Proctor said.