Khaman Maluach was born in Rumbek, South Sudan.
Long before he was a Duke star and an NBA Draft pick, Maluach spent time living with his family in Uganda, then developing his basketball career in Senegal.
It's the South Sudanese roots that brought Maluach into the headlines during the NCAA Tournament.
The U.S. government added South Sudan to its travel ban list.
According to NBC News, Maluach hasn't been able to leave the country since January.
When Maluach is drafted, "the NBA will begin the process of acquiring either a P-1 visa — the typical professional athlete visa for the United States — or the Canadian version if he is drafted by the Toronto Raptors," writes NBC News.
Here's more detail on Maluach's case from NBC:
"Though Maluach entered the United States legally and was never considered in danger of being deported despite the State Department’s revocation of South Sudanese visas, the Trump administration’s policies toward South Sudan have added a layer of complexity to his professional future, nonetheless. If he is drafted by one of the 29 U.S.-based NBA teams, he would still travel internationally to Canada, to face the Raptors, and potentially elsewhere for preseason or regular-season games, and that travel would require additional steps for him to re-enter the country every time he leaves. The league would start by filing a petition through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that would last the length of his initial contract. But every time he would want to return to the United States, he would first be required to interview at a U.S. embassy."
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Maluach deserves plenty of the spotlight just for his basketball ability.
He's 7-foot-1 with rare athleticism and movement skills. He's got a great chance to be a star in the NBA.
And despite the worry, it sounds like the NBA has things under control. Maluach should be all set to continue his hoop dreams at the highest level.
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