Malaki Branham

Malaki Lamar Branham was born May 12, 2003 in Columbus, Ohio, where he was raised. He trained under Jason Dawson starting in fifth grade and later moved to Akron, Ohio to go to St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, the same high school attended by LeBron James. Branham won two state championships at SVSM (2018, 2021) and was named first team All-Ohio during his junior and senior campaigns. During his final year, Branham averaged 21.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals. He was named Ohio Mr. Basketball and made the Jordan Brand Classic roster, though the game wasn't played due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A four-star recruit, Branham committed to play collegiately at Ohio State. Starting 31 of 32 appearances as a freshman, he averaged 13.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 29.5 minutes, and he went 37-of-89 (41.6%) from behind the three-point arc. Branham earned honors as Big Ten Freshman of the Year and All-Big Ten Third Team. On April 1, 2022, Branham declared for the NBA Draft. He was selected with the 20th overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs. Fans can follow the sharp-shooter on Twitter via @MalakiBranham.