"It's amazing": Duke commit Khaman Maluach gels with former Blue Devils star Dereck Lively II at Pro Devils Weekend
Duke basketball landed another top recruit to join their star-studded roster as Khaman Maluach, a five-star forward, committed to the Blue Devils in March. As per ESPN, he is the projected third overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft.
Maluach was grateful to have the opportunity to meet with former Duke star Dereck Lively II at the Pro Devils Weekend. Among many Blue Devils alum, who returned to Durham on Thursday, the Dallas Mavericks center was one of them.
"I mean, working out with Dereck, it's amazing," Maluach said. "He was just in the Finals. Getting to know some of his experiences here, and we're working basically on the touch and the whole-around game, balance, staying on balance while going for hook shots — that's like the most important thing I learned today. And taking your time, too, you don't have to rush."
On Friday, Lively showed off his fun and lively personality as he tried to see who was the tallest between himself and two other upbeat giants: Mark Williams and Khaman Maluach.
Maluach, who came through the NBA Academy Africa, is 7 foot 2 inches tall and also has a 7-foot-5 wingspan and 9-foot-8 standing reach.
Khaman Maluach on why he chose to play for Duke
Khaman Maluach, who played for the City Oilers in Uganda, has been on the radar for U.S. colleges since his performance at the FIBA World Cup last year. He was also electric in the 2024 Paris Olympics for South Sudan.
Last week, Maluach appeared on "The Brotherhood" podcast, where he discussed his experience playing in the Olympics and his early life playing for the NBA Africa program.
The show's host, Caleb Foster, also a Duke guard, asked Maluach whether his relationship with Luol Deng, the president of the South Sudanese Basketball Federation, influenced his decision to join the Blue Devils. Deng was a former player for Duke.
"I wouldn't say that. I wouldn't say he played a big role of me coming to Duke," Maluach said. "I really came to Duke because I love this place and I wanted to tell my story at Duke. That's one of the main reasons I came here."
"I asked him like is it real brotherhood as they say it, he really told me, 'It's a real brotherhood,' and then I came here and I saw it myself when I visited."
Khaman Maluach, a projected letter pick in the 2025 NBA draft, chose Duke over other top schools such as Kentucky, Kansas, and UCLA.