NBA draft prospect Khaman Maluach, 16, to play FIBA World Cup - ESPN

Khaman Maluach, an elite 2025 NBA draft prospect who is just 16 years old, was named to South Sudan's FIBA World Cup roster, their basketball federation told ESPN.

Maluach will be the third-youngest player in the event's history, dating to 1950.

«Khaman's future is bright; everyone sees that,» South Sudan basketball federation president Luol Deng told ESPN. «He is going to be a great player and it's exciting that people will get see him at the World Cup stage. This will be a great experience for him.»

The 7-foot-2 Maluach is a member of the NBA Africa Academy in Senegal, which he joined as a high school freshman in 2021, two years after he started playing basketball seriously while living in Uganda.

Malauch is one of four NBA Academy alum competing at the World Cup, along with Yongxi «Jacky» Cui from China and Australians Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels, who attended the Global Academy in Canberra, Australia.

With a 9-foot-5 standing reach, outstanding mobility covering ground on the perimeter and the ability to impact the game as a shot-blocker, finisher and 3-point shooter, Maluach has several key ingredients that NBA teams actively scour the globe for.

He was named MVP of the NBA's Basketball Without Borders Africa camp in early August.

«He has a great feel for the game,» Deng told ESPN. «Good court awareness, amazing skill set. He has made a huge improvement. At the same time, he needs to improve on everything. Sharpen every part of his game, as you expect from a 16-year-old.

»That's what makes him scary. He still has so much room to grow. But he has a great spirit, is always smiling and is hungry to learn. Everyone loves being around him, and that's why it's been so easy to welcome him into the team."

Maluach, who is