As 7-foot-2 Duke center Khaman Maluach stepped onto the 2025 NBA Draft stage to shake Commissioner Adam Silver’s hand, emotion overwhelmed him. Tears streamed down his face — not just for the achievement, but for the journey that brought him from the heart of Africa to the sport’s biggest stage.
“Everything just hit me at once,” Maluach told Andscape from the Barclays Center on Wednesday night. “I’m still replaying it in my head. This is my moment, and I’m soaking it all in. I’m thinking about the hard days, the times I had to dig deep and break through the mental and physical walls. It’s all been worth it — now I’m just ready to get to work.”
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