When you are 218 centimeters tall, it is quite difficult to be unnoticed, and it will be even more difficult for Kaman Maluac not to attract attention in the next 12 months.
The 17-year-old basketball prodigy, a representative of South Sudan at the Olympic Games in Paris, is expected to be one of the most sought-after players in the American National Basketball Association (NBA) draft next year, and many teams are already rumored to be interested in him.
Maluac is making rapid progress, but the incredible life story of this teenager is much more than his abilities on the field.
"Basketball means a lot to me. I believe it's a gift from God to be able to influence other people's lives and change my family's life," he told BBC Sport Africa.
"Thanks to the orange ball I made it far".
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When he was born in 2006, his family fled to neighboring Uganda to escape years of conflict that ended with South Sudan's independence from Sudan in 2011.
Maluac grew up in Kavempe, a small town on the outskirts of Kampala, the capital of Uganda, where many vulnerable communities live.
He spent most of his time with his mother, six siblings and cousins on his mother's side, since his father was mostly in South Sudan.
He got the encouragement to play basketball quite by accident, one day while returning from school.
"While I was walking, a guy on a bicycle suddenly stopped in front of me," Maluać recalls.
"He told me, 'You should start playing basketball. I can get you sneakers, I can get you a ball if you start playing right away'".
Where to find such big sneakers
The nearest public basketball court was an hour's walk from Maluac's house and was often crowded.
However, the distance of the field was not the only difficulty.
A big problem was the lack of basketballs and sneakers in his number - already as a 13-year-old Maluać wore shoes number 44,5.
He had to play the first game in slippers (crocs), but he immediately made an impression on local coaches Val Denga and Akeč Garang.
"The first time I watched Kaman, I saw great potential," Deng told BBC Sport Africa.
"I knew he would improve and become a better player.
"He absorbed everything very quickly. I told Akech that this kid will be the 'next big name'".
Just one year after he started playing basketball, Maluac received an invitation from the NBA Academy in Africa in 2021.
Watching videos on YouTube, Maluac learned a few moves, mimicking the movements of two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and 2023 MVP Joel Embiid.
The fact that these two stars are originally from Africa encouraged the teenager to work even harder.
"My brother and I would work the so-called 'night shift'.
"After midnight, they (telecom company) give a lot of [mobile data] at a lower price. I was watching those guys all the time.
"I watched Janis's quick feints with his legs, and from Joel I learned 'shimmi' (a type of dance when the body is stiff and the shoulders move). If they succeeded, so can I."
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Moving to West Africa
His hard work paid off, and coach Deng was one of those who managed to convince him to accept a scholarship to the NBA Academy in Dakar, Senegal, even though the move involved some sacrifices.
During the last two years of studying and coaching basketball, Maluać did not see the family that stayed in Kavempe.
"The academy helped me develop in many ways," Maluać said.
"Playing against the biggest talents on the continent, I got better and better.
"One of the main reasons why I worked so hard as a basketball player was so that I could get an education.
"In Uganda, at one point I didn't attend school for two semesters."
His brother Majok maintains the tradition of the "night shift" and follows what his younger brother is doing.
"I like to watch it on YouTube because if I watch it on TV I get too emotional," he said.
Three years later, Maluać was seen as the third pick in the 2025 NBA draft, as he accepted to play for the basketball team of Duke University, in the American state of North Carolina, and thus qualified for the draft.
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The goal is the NBA Hall of Fame
Playing in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) was also extremely important for the teenager's development.
Ever since he made his debut in that league as a 15-year-old with the South Sudanese team Kobra Sport, he has had the opportunity to play against top talents from all over Africa.
The following year, he reached the finals of the league with the Duanes club from Senegal, while earlier this year he played for the Ugandan City Oilers team.
In addition, he was declared the most valuable player of the Basketball Without Borders tournament (Basketball Without Borders) in 2023 in Johannesburg, where he was mentored by Bem Adebayo from the American Miami Heat team
Maluac, who has a career in the NBA league, has high goals that match his height.
"I want to be in the Hall of Fame," he said.
"That is one of my long-term goals. And to play on the court with Janis and Joel Embiid".
An inspiration to young people across Africa
The man who played a key role for Maluac's development on the international stage is Luol Deng, former winger of the Chicago Bulls and the Great Britain national team.
Deng, now 39 years old and president of the South Sudan Basketball Association since 2019, is delighted with Maluac's professional behavior and determination.
"I see a lot of similarities between Kaman and myself," he told BBC Sport Africa.
"I've been around a lot of players and watched how all the hype distracts them and prevents them from becoming great.
"Kaman is different, he wants it very much. He knows what it takes to achieve that, and that makes him unique."
Last year, Maluac, then 16 years old, helped South Sudan qualify for the Olympic Games for the first time through the World Basketball Championship.
He hopes that the performance of the South Sudan national team, known as the Shining Stars, in Paris will serve as an inspiration to others on the African continent to realize their own potential.
"My long-term goal is to put Africa on the sports map of the world so that many children get a chance, because there are many undiscovered talents in Africa," he said.
"All they need is to get a chance.
"I believe that children in my country are motivated and this participation in the Olympic Games will unite us all".
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