Kentucky target Khaman Maluach commits to Duke

Khaman Maluach, the nation’s No. 9 overall prospect and No. 2 center, will not be a Wildcat. Instead, the 7-2 center out of NBA Academy Africa will be joining Kentucky’s blue-blood rival next season as a Duke Blue Devil.

The five-star center out of Senegal announced his commitment with ESPN on Wednesday.

“Duke is home, that’s where I belong.” Maluach said. “This was the hardest decision I’ve ever made. I felt like I could succeed anywhere, but I was most comfortable going to Duke. All the schools that were recruiting me are big-time programs, but in terms of my development and the relationships I built with the coaches, they were the best.”

Duke was long seen as the favorite before Kansas, Kentucky, UCLA and the G-League Ignite joined the race. By the time it came down to a final decision, the Blue Devils and Ignite were seen as the top contenders with the remaining finalists slipping behind.

Maluach, a potential top-five pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, joins Duke’s top-ranked recruiting class that also includes Cooper Flagg, Isaiah Evans, Patrick Ngongba, Kon Knueppel and Darren Harris. This commitment likely locks up the No. 1 overall spot in the final team rankings with Kentucky sitting behind at No. 2.

“That’s going to be something exciting. I expect it to be great competition going up against future teammates,” Maluach added. “We’ll get to build our bond stronger after that. This is a big platform to showcase our talent.”

The five-star prospect took an official visit to Kentucky back in February for the team’s home win vs. Ole Miss.

Watsap BBN . wildcats ? #notcomintted pic.twitter.com/V1RB6KwufQ

— Khaman Maluach (@khaman_maluach) February 21, 2024

Now, the Cats will have to face the 7-2 center on Nov. 12 in Atlanta during the Champions Classic.