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Central South Sudan Khaman Maluach grateful for Olympic experience at 17

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VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQN, France – Duke University’s incoming freshmen are preparing for move-in on Aug. 17. As for 17-year-old Khaman Maluach, he’s keeping busy because the youngest player to play in men’s basketball at the 2024 Paris Olympics while also playing for South Sudan’s historic team.

Maluach was born on September 14, 2006, in Rumbek, Sudan, now South Sudan. The 7-foot-2 center is the youngest basketball player — the following oldest is Bilal Coulibaly of France, born on July 26, 2004, of the Washington Wizards. Chinese skater Zheng Haohao is the youngest player at the Games, at 11 years, 11 months.

“This whole experience makes me feel like I’m living the dream when I was 17. Big dreams. And I’m just a small-town kid chasing big dreams in the big city,” Maluach told Andscape magazine after South Sudan beat Puerto Rico 90-79 on Sunday.

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South Sudan is the youngest nation at the OlympicsIt gained independence from Sudan after a referendum in 2011. The split got here after years of war between Sudan and what’s now South Sudan over a shared border and natural resources. With the guidance and financial backing of former NBA star Luol Deng, South Sudan’s men’s basketball team qualified for the Olympics for the primary time this yr, despite not having a single indoor basketball court.

Like lots of his teammates, Maluach is a refugee from South Sudan. His family fled the conflict-ridden country when he was a toddler and moved to Uganda. The South Sudanese men’s basketball team’s first appearance at the Olympics was marred before it even began when the fallacious national anthem was played before the opening match against Puerto Rico. But the East African nation recovered and made history by winning in front of virtually 27,000 fans at Pierre Mauroy Stadium. Maluach’s mother and other relations from Kampala, Uganda, were in attendance.

“For me, it’s a big deal for my family. The opportunity to come, see me, watch my performance,” Maluach said. “I only dreamed of them leaving the country and seeing me on such a giant stage.

“Now we will celebrate our victory, we will be grateful for our first Olympic match and our first victory. So I will celebrate until midnight. We will put this match aside and prepare for the next one.”

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Maluakh and South Sudan’s next match will probably be on Wednesday 2021 against the United States, the defending gold medalists of the delayed Tokyo Olympics.

South Sudan center Khaman Maluach hits the ball throughout the match against Puerto Rico in Group C throughout the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France, July 28.

SAMEER AL-DOUMY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. team has won 4 straight gold medals at the Olympics, dating back to 2008. South Sudan proved to be no easy opponent, losing narrowly 101-100 in an exhibition match to the U.S. in London on July 21. South Sudan led by as many as 16 points before missing a buzzer-beater shot that will have given it the victory.

Although Maluach is predicted to play within the NBA, the prospect to play twice for the Americans is an ideal learning experience for him.

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“It’s really different because I’ve seen all these people, I’ve watched them on TV and the NBA playoffs,” Maluach said. “I’ve stayed up late at night in Africa watching. I’ve watched LeBron (James). The NBA Bubble (in Orlando in 2020). I’ve watched Joel Embiid. Being on the same floor as these guys was a different feeling. I was like, ‘Dreams really do come true.’ Me playing against Joel Embiid and LeBron James, I’ve always looked up to those guys.”

Maluach scored two points on 1-of-2 shooting and grabbed two rebounds in six minutes against Puerto Rico before being benched within the second half. South Sudan coach Royal Ivey, an assistant coach with the Houston Rockets, is patient with the teenager, who he believes is the long run face of South Sudan basketball.

“He’s our second big. Our backup big,” Ivey said of Maluach after the Puerto Rico game. “I wanted to give him an injection early to see what he could do for us, see if he could help us rebound. Think about it, he’s 17 years old. He’s learning from grown men. Sometimes he has good days. Sometimes he doesn’t have so good days. He’s still in the rotation. I believe in him.”

“He’s a talent. In five years, this will be his team. I have to put him in and give him the chance for some fiery moments. When he makes mistakes, I have to take him out as a coach. He’s OK and he’ll be OK for the next game.”

“My role obviously changes depending on the game and the size and the talent. Whatever it takes for my team to win, I’ll do it. It doesn’t matter,” Maluach said.

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South Sudan center Khaman Maluach warms up before their match against the Philippines throughout the 2023 FIBA ​​Basketball World Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

Nicholas Muller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

NBA Academy Africa successfully recruited Maluach at age 14 in 2021 after certainly one of its scouts saw him training outdoors in Uganda. The academy is an elite basketball training facility in Saly, Senegal, that opened in November 2018 for the very best female and male prospects from Africa. Maluach, the 2023 Basketball Without Borders Africa MVP, also played three seasons within the NBA-sanctioned Basketball Africa League.

Maluach was on South Sudan’s roster when the country qualified for the Olympics at the 2023 World Cup, ending as the highest African team. He also represented South Sudan in April at the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Oregon, an exhibition match pitting the very best American highschool players against the very best teenagers from all over the world.

“The entire African continent is excited and proud to follow South Sudan’s journey at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games,” BAL President Amadou Fall told Andscape. “It’s great to see Khaman again after being the youngest player at the FIBA ​​World Championship last summer. He is an ideal example of what’s now possible in Africa with the trail we’ve got established from grassroots to elite level.

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“He was a young, raw talent at the age of 14, through NBA Academy Africa and the BAL Elevate program, now on the world’s biggest sports stage with his South Sudanese national team. We also applaud the extraordinary work our NBA legend and BAL Ambassador, Luol Deng, has done in building this world-class basketball program.”

With an arm span of 7-4.5 and a reach of 9-8, Duke adds Maluach to a highly rated 2024 class that features No. 1 overall 2024 recruit Cooper Flagg. Maluach plans to return to Durham, North Carolina, after the Olympics to check and play basketball, but until then, he’ll proceed to enjoy this basketball experience as a teen with quite a lot of potential to enhance.

“The whole experience was like a movie for me,” Maluach said. “It was the same with the World Cup, because so many things happened in just a few years. Two years of experience and for me, things go by faster every time I think about them. I think, ‘Oh, I’m here and this is a great experience.’”

“I went out there (to the arena) and saw the crowd and I got chills. I was a little nervous. I was like, ‘Wow, this is what it’s all about.’ It’s been a great experience so far.”

“It’s an incredible experience for a 17-year-old. He’s the heart and soul of this team. The court jester. He’s one of the funniest guys on the team. He’s so carefree, so innocent. Half the time he doesn’t even know what’s going on. And once he gets that fire in his heart, he’s going to be a really good player,” Ivey said.

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Marc J. Spears is a senior NBA author at Andscape. He used to have the opportunity to dunk, but he hasn’t been in a position to for years, and his knees still hurt.

This article was originally published on : andscape.com
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“I did not know that this is a message” – Ryan Clark replies to critics “tries to call him because of his bare daughter

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The Rgiii Saga versus Ryan Clark continues, and in this case it seems that Michelle Obama’s infamous approach “When he fails, you go at a high level”, is clearly outside the window.

After Clark called, like Robert Griffin III (often known as Rgia), dating and the history of marriage played a role in his recent high -profile comments about Angel Reese, some social media users studied Clark’s dating history. This investigation meant that users noticed that Clark’s eldest daughter, Jaden, is Biracial.

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But did it create the moment of “Gotch” they were counting on?

In response to critics, Clark began to social media to cope with the growing comments against his daughter’s racial background.

“I didn’t know it was a message, but since other people want to talk about her … This is my first, Jaden. My God, she is beautiful. I all fell in love her, I saw her for the first time, and since then I loved her every day,” he wrote on x AND Instagram Sharing photos of his and his daughter. “Maybe the news in the light of this week is that it is biracial. So it is a great part of my God, which was given experience, and the sum of these experiences makes me who I am!”

Now Attacks on each Clark And Rgia’s personal life is due to the Rgia’s tweet, which shared under the next foul Angel Reese and Caitlain Clark through the WNBA season opener.

By adding much more fuel to the hearth, the sports commentator shared “evidence” to support his hot shot reese YouTube movie, In the actual fact that his wife was awkward within the background when he spent almost 22 minutes discrediting Reese.

“One thing we know about Rgia is that he does not talk in his home about what black women must endure in this country … About what young black women and athletes, such as Angel Reese, were dealing with,” said Clark in response to Rgia’s comment about Reese on his podcast. “So now, if you are Rgia, when the last time, at your home, you talked about what (Angel Reese) is dealing with? You were not able to do it because in both marriages you were married to white women.”

What Rgia answered, saying that a colleague sports commentator and a former colleague from the NFL team “traveled next to” the road, transforming a comment, which he thinks was rooted in basketball into a personal problem. While sport commentators are still fighting for Foul Wnba, Reese has gone from the situation.

“Basketball plays. Refs is right. Go.” she said Press conferenceAfter playing.
“My thoughts are exactly what the players say. Let’s do nothing that is not and go on”, Echo commentator Espn Ari Chambers appeared in SportsCenter.

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Why America still makes the black fathers of sports villains

(Tagstotransate) rgiii

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Atlanta Dream and Brittney Griner they gain as a new band, despite L -Against Indiana Fever

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Atlanta Dream, Catlin Clark


Under the roof of Atlanta State Farm Arena Brittney Griner played her first game at the home from Atlanta Dream. Together together with his teammates, Brionna Jones, Te-Hina Paopao, Taylor Thierry and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough.

In the winning match in Indiana with fever, Griner welcomed welcoming shouts like a goat. Former Phoenix Mercury star, tenderly called BG, appeared “rejuvenated” in the course of the shooting before the sport and after fidgeting with son Bash. This He adapts to how he feels About Atlanta.

“I definitely have new energy in Atlanta. I feel that I am at home,” said Griner

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BG began to paint with a newly decorated court in the sector, emboldened with new news: “Give respect to women’s sports”. Atlanta Dream has established cooperation with Cashapp and Playa Society to desert this campaign, which is able to cause the right view of ladies’s work within the sports industry, if there are still doubts.

From the season of WNBA it began on May 16, the Atlanta Dream team puts this work, beating Catlin Clark and Indiana Fever 91-90 on May 20 within the away match.

Brionna Jones from Dream presented her versatile influence in her last episode of two matches against a competing team. In the primary victory, she recorded 19 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, theft and block, shooting 6-Z 12 from the sphere. While the dreams fell 81-76 on May 22, Jones managed 15 points and 11 rebounds, together with three assists and theft, doing this with zero speed in the sport and adding two three points. Jones spoke in regards to the performance of the band:

“We went through the first three games (i) we become a bit more convenient,” said Jones. “I think there is still a place to grow … play with each other, the way the crime flows. We really have to get to know each other and know where we want our places and what he wants.”

Świeżak from Atlanta Te-Hina Paopao, whom her teammates praised as a great advantage, assured an offensive spark with 11 points. Her shooting into the circuit was particularly effective because 3 out of 6 attempts from outside the arch flowed. In addition to Paopao scoring, she also threw out three assists and caught two collections for her team. She finished the night with two speed.

Brittney Griner had a relatively quiet night offensively, scoring five points in shooting 2 out of 6, but operated on boards with seven rebounds and one block. Turning was a problem for her, committing three in 24 minutes of the sport.

On the opposite hand, Rhyne Howard provided a significant offensive effort, leading a dream with 24 points in shooting from the sphere, including 3-Z 7 outside the arch. In 37 minutes of motion, she filled the statistics sheet with five rebounds, two assists, two theft and one block, transforming five of her six free throw attempts. Despite its versatile production, the dream still suffered a defeat of 81-76 with Indiana fever.

After the match, Howard released Jones’s sentiment in regards to the performance of sleep when he was asked what she could learn in the primary few matches of the season, being a new team:

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“I had different players, we have different cards, so the best thing is that we learn a new system together …” – said Howard. “We’re all on the same page at the end of the day.”

(Tagstranslate) WNBA Player

This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander receives the MVP award and a surprise from Chris Paul

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Oklahoma City-Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has just received the NBA award the most respected player when he noticed something suspicious. Next to his wife Hailey, whom he never saw, sitting at thunder matches, a man sitting outside. Before the guard Thunder in Oklahoma City could raise his eyebrows, he realized that he had an unexpected guest: Chris Paul, his former teammate and mentor.

“It was amazing. It surprised me. I had to like a double shot. I was like:” Who is it with my wife? ” -said Gilgeous -Alexander. “I got a bit, but I saw that it was Chris. And I believed,” cool “. “

Gilgeous-Alexander won his first MVP award after winning the title of scoring and bringing Thunder to 68 wins in the league. The day after his announcement, the NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver, presented him with the MVP trophy before winning 118-103 Thunder over Minnesota Timberwolves in the match of the 2nd finals of the Western Conference on Thursday evening at Paycom Center. Gilgeous-Alexander and The Thunder will pass a 2: 0 series in match 3 on Saturday in Minneapolis.

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Paul liked to sit down outside, watching his former teammates, Gilgeous-Alexander and NBA All-Defensive First Tame Luguentz Dort, were recognized for his or her size.

“It means everything to be here,” said Paul and Scape. “You see how Lu finally creates his first defensive team. And take this game with (wife of Gilgeous-Alexander), I am happy with him.”

Gilgeous-Alexander joined other team members behind the striker Thunder Chet Holmgren during an interview after the game broadcast in China. After the interview, Gilgeous-Alexander failed under a protective field to hug and kiss his wife before he reached the smiling Paul, who apparently had his old teammate from the team, considering that he didn’t participate in the game.

“You just lied in my face,” said Gilgeous-Alexander with a smile.

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“Who?” Paul said.

Oklahoma City Thunder Watchtower Chris Paul (on the left) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (on the right) talk during training on July 10, 2020 in Orlando, Florida.

Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images

Paul is the future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer with 12-star NBA and is a member of the NBA seventy fifth anniversary team. A 20-year-old NBA veteran who finished May 40 on May 6, said and Scape that he had not yet selected his future. Paul played in all 82 matches in the regular season this season in San Antonio Spurs, but the free agent told in March and Pejzz that he would confer with his wife and two children in the season about whether he should proceed the game.

Paul was also colleagues from the team from Gilgeous-Alexander for one season from Thunder during the NBA season 2019-2020, to which Pandemia Coronavirus affected. In addition to Paweł, it was the first season of Gilgeous-Alexander from Thunder. Los Angeles Clippers was replaced by Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and five sorts of draft in the first round in Thunder on July 10, 2019 for NBA striker All-Star Paul George.

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Paweł enjoyed the mentoring of Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort. In addition to sharing the defense field, it often happened that Gilgeous-Alexander alongside Paweł during the NBA Bubble in Orlando, Florida in 2020. From this one season, Paul became not only a mentor of Gilgeous-Alexander, but a close friend. Gilgeous-Alexander is considered one of the five NBA players in the second season “Start Five” Netflix, and Paul should play a repetitive role due to their relationship.

“He was great, not only as an older brother, a mentor, but he is like a friend,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “There is all the time what you possibly can resist. He was the first guy in my life that I used to be close, who achieved things that I need to realize. And I actually resist him on advice, but not only advice in basketball – business advice, caring for body advice, coping with family after they don’t live with you.

“There are so many things that you deal with as a NBA player, especially his caliber, which go under the radar. His tips were great, not only in matters outside the pitch, not only with all mentoring, simply being there as a friend.”

The love that Paweł has for Gilgeous-Alexander is mutual.

“This is my family.” Especially such a moment. “

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Of all the councils given by Paweł Gilgeous-Alexander, the latter said that Paweł was the most respected teaching him about improving his weight-reduction plan. 26-year-old Gilgeous-Alexander said he was a restaurant junkie that loved to eat at the Cheesecake factory and fast food restaurants. Canada’s guilty pleasure was the pizza slices of domino late at night.

Paweł modified the Gilgeous-Alexander weight-reduction plan for the higher during his stay in the NBA bubble.

“When I was younger, I ate terribly,” said Gilgeous-Alexander Andcape. “He showed me how to take care of your body and eat well.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Oklahoma City shoots in the fourth quarter of Minnesota Timberwolves in the match of the 2nd finals of the Western Conference in Paycom Center on May 22 in Oklahoma City.

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

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Paweł said that he saw the potential of Gilgeous-Alexander to the size before joining the thunder.

Gilgeous-Alexander obtained a median of 19 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists in his first season with Thunder next to Paul. Gilgeous-Alexander won his first of the three NBA ALL-STAR performances in 2023 and took second place behind the center of Denver Nuggets Center Nikola Jokic in MVP voting in 2024. But this season Gilgeous-Alexander won his first MVP award over JOKIC.

“When he was a debutant, I was really close (sports coach Clippers) Jason Powell, even though I left. And he told me about work ethics (Gilgeous-Alexander),” said Paul.

Paul was in the two finals of the Western conference and played in a single NBA final with Phoenix Suns in 2021. Gilgeous-alexander and Thunder are participating in the first finals of the franchise conference since 2016. Since moving with Seattle in 2008, Grzmot was just once in the NBA finals, and lost to Miami Heat in 2012 in 2012. Have talent to change into the first franchise champion.

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While reality has only six wins from the first NBA title, Gilgeous-Alexander said that “quite easy” to concentrate on the match of the third finals of the Western conference.

“We had a habit throughout the season, focusing on the next game and worrying about what is ahead of us. It is not different in this situation,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “We are aware of where we are this season. We would hurt ourselves if we directed ourselves from what we got here. And that’s what we are prioritized.”

Paul wouldn’t be surprised if a quote from his precious student and friend. Don’t be surprised if Paul returned to Oklahoma City, supporting his younger brother if he reaches the NBA finals.

“At the end of the day, everything he cares about is winning,” said Paul.

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Marc J. Spears is a senior NBA author for Andcape. Once he was capable of immerse himself at you, but he was unable for years, and his knees still hurt.

This article was originally published on : andscape.com
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