Khaman Maluach Drafted by NBA After South Sudanese Visas Were Revoked by Trump Administration

Khaman Maluach was drafted by the NBA despite his visa being revoked by the Trump administration. 

On Wednesday, June 25, the Duke basketball star was picked No. 10 during the first round by the Phoenix Suns. The Suns acquired the Houston Rockets’ first round pick alongside Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and five future second-round picks in a trade that sent Kevin Durant to Houston.

With a staggering, nearly 7-foot-7-inch wingspan and mobility to keep up with guards, Maluach, 18, has the ceiling to be an elite defensive player at the professional level. Except that the shot blocker, who was born in South Sudan, may not be eligible to play in the U.S. — at least not without supporting cutting through the red tape that could make travel for the rookie difficult. 

In April, President Donald Trump and his administration announced that U.S. visa holders from South Sudan will have their documents revoked “effective immediately.” 

“I am taking actions to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and to restrict any further issuance to prevent entry into the United States, effective immediately, due to the failure of South Sudan’s transitional government to accept the return of its repatriated citizens in a timely manner,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a statement on April 5 on social media, PEOPLE previously reported. 

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At the time, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment when asked for details about the edict, when the federal government would begin to carry it out and whether Trump’s officials took any consideration of South Sudan’s safety as it’s reportedly on the brink of civil war.

South Sudan has experienced an increase in violence due to rising political tensions, according to the Associated Press, which reported that hundreds of thousands of people died during a five-year civil war, which began in 2013, prior to a peace deal being reached in 2018.

The friction between the two rival factions — one in support of President Salva Kiir and another in his deputy Riek Machar — has threatened to disrupt the 2018 peace deal, when dozens were killed following Machar’s arrest in March, according to the outlet, which reported that people flee from South Sudan had previously been granted temporary protection status in the U.S. However, that expired on May 3.

Before enrolling at Duke, Maluch played for the NBA Africa Academy — an elite training center featuring the best male and female basketball prospects in the continent. 

When he arrived at North Carolina to play for the Bluedevils, Maluach obtained a standard F1 student visa — which has been on pause since May, per CNN. After his NCAA season ended in April, the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders initiative assisted the South Sudanese athlete in getting a business-tourist visa to participate in the NBA combine, NBC News reported. 

Now, as a member of the NBA, he will need to get a P-1 work visa. Per NBC News and CNN, the non-immigrant visa allows international athletes to temporarily enter the U.S. to participate in games. For example, the Maluach would also be required to get a new visa and waiver each time he reentered the country after playing against the Toronto Raptors. 

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Despite Maluach’s situation being unique, most international athletes in the NBA maintain a P-1 work visa during their career, and the NBA’s head of international basketball is determined to see the seven footer suit up. 

“People always ask me: ‘What do you do at the NBA? What do international basketball operations do?’ ” Troy Justice told NBC news. “And we say we make dreams come true. We give people an opportunity that wouldn’t have it otherwise.”

In the 2024-25 season, Maluach averaged 8.6 points per game and helped lead Duke, along with Cooper Flagg, to a Final Four appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Despite making a name for himself on the defensive side of the floor, he displays tremendous offensive potential. If Maluach can play without issue, the South Sudanese star will surely be among the top rookies in the 2025 NBA Draft class.