Latest news with #KhamanMaluach
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Duke has entire starting lineup drafted, including 3 in top 10
Three Duke players were picked in the top 10 of the NBA Draft for the second time in six years Wednesday night. The rest of their starting five was drafted a day later. Do-it-all forward Cooper Flagg, stoic shooting and playmaking wing Kon Knueppel and raw-yet-intriguing center Khaman Maluach all heard their names called early at the Barclays Center. Advertisement Unsurprisingly, Flagg went No. 1 overall to the Dallas Mavericks. But then Knueppel joined him in the top five when the Charlotte Hornets took him fourth overall. And the Houston Rockets selected Maluach with the No. 10 pick, which is part of the Kevin Durant trade, meaning Maluach will soon be playing for the Phoenix Suns. In the second round on Thursday, Duke wing Sion James went 33rd overall to join Kneuppel on the Hornets, while guard Tyrese Proctor heard his name called 49th overall. The Australian junior will be joining the best team among his cohort, the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers. That gave Duke five players selected in the 2025 Draft, two more than any other team in college basketball. And one more than Flagg's prep team. Only 3 teams have had 3 top 10 picks in an NBA Draft In 2019, the New Orleans Pelicans drafted internet-breaking forward Zion Williamson with the top pick. Two picks later, wing RJ Barrett went No. 3 overall to the New York Knicks. Cam Reddish rounded out the group, and the top 10 of that year's draft, when the wing was scooped up by the Atlanta Hawks. Advertisement Florida, notably, also had three top-10 selections in the same NBA Draft in 2007. That year, forward/center Al Horford went No. 3 to the Atlanta Hawks, forward Corey Brewer went No. 7 to the Minnesota Timberwolves and big man Joakim Noah landed with Chicago Bulls at No. 9 overall. Horford, Brewer and Noah — at the time juniors — helped Florida win back-to-back national titles in 2006-07. Williamson, Barrett and Reddish all played only one season at Duke; the same goes for the latest Blue Devils freshman trio. While the former reached the Elite Eight, the latter made it to the Final Four and, really, the doorstep of the national title game. This year's Duke team was dominant — until a certain Final Four game This year's Blue Devils squad owned the ACC, so much so they became the league's first team to post a 19-1 record in conference play since the ACC moved to a 20-game slate in 2019-20. Advertisement The last time Duke finished with only one loss in league play was the 1999-2000 season. Even when Flagg went down with an ankle injury in the ACC tournament opener, the Blue Devils survived and eventually thrived against conference competition. They erased a halftime deficit against Georgia Tech, held off a rally from upset-minded rival North Carolina and then ran away with the conference tournament title in the second half against a red-hot Louisville team. Kon Knueppel, left, and Cooper Flagg of the Duke Blue Devils celebrate in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament March 27, 2025, in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by) (Patrick Smith via Getty Images) Flagg returned for the NCAA tournament, and Duke advanced to the Final Four as a No. 1 seed. A head-scratching 9-0 Houston run in the final 35 seconds stunned the Blue Devils and bounced them from the tourney before they could play for the program's sixth national championship. Advertisement That was in April. More than two months later, Duke is in the spotlight again. This time, the Blue Devils are saying goodbye to their latest lottery picks, including their nation-leading sixth No. 1 overall NBA Draft selection. Kentucky is second on that list with three. Cooper Flagg has been the 2025 NBA Draft's top player for a long time Flagg, the youngest No. 1 overall pick since LeBron James in 2003, led Duke in all five major statistical categories this past season. Still only 18 years old, Flagg finished the season with a team-leading 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. Advertisement Flagg has been penciled in as the top pick in this year's draft ever since he reclassified into the 2024 recruiting class in August 2023. Before playing a game for Duke, the now-6-foot-9 Maine native scrimmaged against Team USA ahead of last summer's Olympics. He stayed afloat among a sea of NBA All-Stars and then got to Duke, where he earned Naismith National Player of the Year honors. Flagg had a strong supporting cast his lone season with the Blue Devils. That started with Knueppel, a 6-foot-5 wing who averaged 14.4 points per game on the year and distributed 4.7 assists per game during Duke's ACC tournament run. Knueppel shot a smooth 40.6% from 3 during the 2024-25 campaign. As for Maluach, the 7-foot-1 big man is the most green of the three — by far. Maluach hails from South Sudan, and he didn't start playing basketball until he was 13. He averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while logging an efficient 71.2% field-goal percentage this past season. Flagg is the flag-bearer of the group, Duke's second trio in the last six years to go in the top 10 in the same NBA Draft.
Fox News
a day ago
- Sport
- Fox News
South Sudan native Khaman Maluach has tearful reaction after Rockets select him in NBA Draft
The Phoenix Suns' roster will look vastly different this fall. Just a few days before the 2025 NBA Draft, reports of a trade involving Kevin Durant surfaced. The deal is expected to send the two-time NBA champion to the Houston Rockets, ESPN reported Sunday. The Rockets held the tenth overall pick in the draft and selected 7-foot-2 Khaman Maluach Wednesday. The former Duke standout was subsequently sent to Phoenix as part of the package of players and picks included in the Durant deal, according to ESPN. Maluach was visibly emotional moments after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced his name from the draft stage. Maluach was raised in Uganda after his family fled Sudan when the nation was ravaged by conflict. He didn't start playing basketball until he was 14 years old, when a cab driver stopped and acknowledged his stature. Maluach was a member of the South Sudan national basketball team that pushed Team USA to the brink at the Paris Olympics. Before landing in Durham, North Carolina, Maluach competed at NBA Academy Africa. He is now the highest-drafted player from the academy. "I'm here representing the whole continent," Maluach told ESPN moments after he walked across the draft stage and shook Silver's hand at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. "Living in Africa, I had the whole continent on my back, giving hope to young kids, inspiring young kids and the next generation of African basketball." Maluach averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game during his lone season at Duke. He started 39 games for the Blue Devils, who advanced to the Final Four in April. Maluach wore a Rockets hat on the draft stage because the reported transaction he was included in has yet to become official. Maluach wore a Suns hat during a press conference after he was drafted. He expressed excitement about heading to Arizona. "I'm excited to put on the Phoenix jersey that has my name, that has 'Maluach' on the back," he told reporters. "I'm excited to play for the Suns and step on the floor." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
NBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- NBC News
Khaman Maluach steals the show at NBA Draft
18-year-old Duke center Khaman Maluach from South Sudan was picked 10th in the NBA draft. NBC News' Sam Brock reports on the emotional night for the basketball player who fought back tears as he hopes his improbable path inspires the next generation of African basketball.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
ESPN legend names shocking NBA Draft error that makes him want to 'scream'
ESPN broadcaster Scott Van Pelt has named his biggest problem with the NBA Draft - newly selected players wearing the wrong team's hat moments after entering the league. The problem comes with the chaos of the draft, with teams trading their picks and prospects with little time for the league office to adjust. That leaves prospects getting a photo with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver wearing the hat of a team they will not play a game for. The problem happened a few times on Wednesday night, including 10th overall pick Khaman Maluach, who was visibly crying while wearing a Houston Rockets hat. Maluach is headed to the Phoenix Suns, as the team acquired the pick in the blockbuster Kevin Durant trade. 'I'm gonna scream about the hat situation,' Van Pelt said on ESPN's airwaves during the 'SportsCenter' broadcast that immediately followed the first round. 'The league's too smart to have the moment that they've waited their whole life for be a picture in the wrong hat. It just doesn't make sense. I don't know why they can't fix it.' The Washington Wizards selected Florida phenom Walter Clayton Jr. with the No 18 pick, only to deal him to the Utah Jazz moments later. Clayton, and who he was traded for, Will Riley, both took photos with Silver in the wrong team's hat. The move that thoroughly upset Van Pelt happened one more time during the first round with Liam McNeeley wearing a Suns hat despite the pick being traded to the Charlotte Hornets earlier in the evening. The hat problem has seen historic moments, like both Kobe Bryant and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander donning Hornets hats on draft night, with neither basketball great playing for Charlotte in their careers. That problem has rarely occurred in the NFL, with similar deals being made. However, league representatives have handed draftees their hats to wear seconds before shaking hands with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. The NBA has not commented on the hat dilemma or how it plans to avoid the problem in the future.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Grading Phoenix Suns' First Round of 2025 NBA Draft
Grading Phoenix Suns' First Round of 2025 NBA Draft originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The first round of the 2025 NBA Draft took place on Wednesday night as the stars of tomorrow found out which team they will be playing on at the highest level. Advertisement To nobody's surprise, Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper were selected first and second overall by the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs respectively. After that, there were many surprises and multiple trades that took place and one team that was among them was the Phoenix Suns. Phoenix made a massive move before their pick came up as they sent the 29th overall pick and a 2029 first-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets for Mark Williams in a move that fills a major key need on their roster. After making the trade for Williams, the Suns then used the 10th overall pick to upgrade their frontcourt even more by selecting Duke center Khaman Maluach. Suns' First-Round Grade: A These were two massive moves by the Suns and one that warranted them receiving an A grade for the first round of the draft. Advertisement Of course, the Suns struggled mightily at the center position last season but that will likely change heading into next season with the additions of Williams and Maluach. Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams (5)© Scott Kinser-Imagn Images Williams gives Phoenix a great young starting center, though he has dealt with his fair share of injuries during his NBA career, which ultimately cost him a chance to play for the Los Angeles Lakers last season after a trade was rescinded after he failed the physical. Despite his injury history, the Suns add a great defender and inside scorer to their roster next to Devin Booker and Jalen Green. Khaman Maluach during a game with Taft-Imagn Images For Maluach, he will give the Suns much-needed size due to his 7-2 frame and he also bring a much-needed rim protector as well as a solid scorer, though he does still need to improve on his three-point shooting. Advertisement By adding these two players alongside Booker, along with Green and Dillon Brooks whom they got in the Kevin Durant trade from the Rockets, it was a pretty successful first round of the draft for Phoenix. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
