This blog post incorporates information from the Wikipedia article “Khaman Maluach” which is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). 

A new U.S. government policy could put Duke men’s basketball standout Khaman Maluach at risk of deportation. Maluach, a 7-foot-2 center and projected first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, may be directly affected by the recent announcement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Rubio stated that the U.S. government would “revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders,” citing South Sudan’s failure to accept the timely return of its repatriated citizens. This action will prevent further issuance of visas, affecting those who hold South Sudanese passports, including Maluach, who fled the country with his family as a young child and grew up in Uganda.

Duke University responded to the news, saying in a statement, “Duke University is aware of the announcement from the Department of State regarding visa holders from South Sudan. We are looking into the situation and working expeditiously to understand any implications for Duke students.”

The announcement came just before Duke’s emotional loss to the Houston Cougars in the Final Four, with Maluach unavailable for comment following the game.

During this season, the 18-year-old averaged 8.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, helping solidify his status as one of the top prospects for the upcoming NBA Draft.

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