Malaki Branham

Last updated

Malaki Branham
Malaki Branham Eli Brooks (cropped).jpg
Branham with Ohio State in 2022
No. 4Washington Wizards
Position Shooting guard
League NBA
Personal information
Born (2003-05-12) May 12, 2003 (age 22)
Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school St. Vincent–St. Mary
(Akron, Ohio)
College Ohio State (2021–2022)
NBA draft 2022: 1st round, 20th overall pick
Drafted by San Antonio Spurs
Playing career2022–present
Career history
20222025 San Antonio Spurs
2022 Austin Spurs
2025–present Washington Wizards
Career highlights
Stats at NBA.com  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Stats at Basketball Reference   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Malaki Lamar Branham (born May 12, 2003) is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Contents

Early life

Branham was raised in Columbus, Ohio. Starting in fifth grade, he trained under Jason Dawson in Columbus. [1] He moved to Akron, Ohio where he attended high school at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School. [2] At St. Vincent–St. Mary, he won two state championships in 2018 and 2021. [3] He was named first team All-Ohio in his junior and senior seasons. [4] [5] As a senior, Branham averaged 21.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game. In his senior season, he was named Ohio Mr. Basketball [6] and made the Jordan Brand Classic, which was not played due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [7]

Branham was a consensus four-star recruit and ranked as the best player in Ohio. On July 22, 2020, Branham committed to playing college basketball for Ohio State over offers from teams such as Alabama, Baylor and Iowa. [8]

College recruiting information
NameHometownSchoolHeightWeightCommit date
Malaki Branham
SG / SF
Columbus, OH St. Vincent–St. Mary 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)180 lb (82 kg)Jul 22, 2020 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:  4 stars.svg     247Sports:  4 stars.svg     ESPN:  4 stars.svg    (88)
Overall recruit ranking:    Rivals: 44    247Sports: 35    ESPN: 34
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Ohio State 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  • "2021 Ohio State Buckeyes Recruiting Class". ESPN. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved February 26, 2022.

College career

Branham started his college career off the bench, but quickly became a regular starter. [9] He scored a career-high 35 points in a 87–79 overtime win against Nebraska after a nearly month-long COVID pause. [10] In a three-game stretch in February, he scored 22, 27 and 31 points. [11] As a freshman, he averaged 13.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and two assists per game. Branham was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year as well as Third Team All-Big Ten. [12] On April 1, 2022, Branham declared for the 2022 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility. [13] He later signed with an agent, forgoing his remaining eligibility. [14] He was projected as a potential lottery pick in the draft. [13]

Professional career

San Antonio Spurs (2022–2025)

Branham was selected with the 20th overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2022 NBA draft. [15] Branham joined the Spurs' 2022 NBA Summer League team. [16] In his Summer League debut, Branham scored fifteen points in a 99–90 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. [17] On July 8, 2022, Branham signed a rookie-scale contract with the Spurs. [18]

Washington Wizards (2025–present)

On July 9, 2025, Branham was traded to the Washington Wizards. [19]

Career statistics

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage 3P%  3-point field goal percentage FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game APG  Assists per game SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high

NBA

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2022–23 San Antonio 663223.5.440.302.8292.71.9.5.110.2
2023–24 San Antonio 752921.3.432.347.8732.02.1.4.19.2
2024–25 San Antonio 4709.1.458.405.8181.1.8.2.05.0
Career1886119.0.439.336.8432.01.7.4.18.5

College

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2021–22 Ohio State 323129.6.498.416.8333.62.0.7.313.7

References

  1. Hass-Hill, Colin (July 15, 2021). "Chasing Perfection: How Malaki Branham Went From A Gangly Fifth-Grader To Heralded Ohio State Freshman". Eleven Warriors. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  2. Hass-Hill, Colin (July 22, 2020). "Q&A: St. Vincent-St. Mary Coach Dru Joyce Explains What Malaki Branham Brings To Ohio State". Eleven Warriors. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  3. "2021-22 Men's Basketball Roster – Malaki Branham". Ohio State Athletics. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  4. "2020 OPSWA All-Ohio Boys Teams" (PDF). OHSAA.org.
  5. "All-Ohio Boys Teams" (PDF). OHSAA.org.
  6. "Malaki Branham Named Ohio Mr. Basketball". OHSAA.org.
  7. Lind, Andrew (May 22, 2021). "2021 Ohio State Basketball Signee Malaki Branham Named To Jordan Brand Classic". Buckeyes Now FN. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  8. Borzello, Jeff (July 22, 2020). "Top-30 prospect Malaki Branham commits to Ohio State". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  9. Strom, Griffin (January 11, 2022). "Malaki Branham Continues To Look Like True Second Option For Ohio State Amid Impressive Three-Game Run". Eleven Warriors. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  10. Jardy, Adam (January 4, 2022). "Ohio State's Malaki Branham enjoys 'Welcome to Star City' in Nebraska". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  11. Stano, Ryan (February 25, 2022). "Ohio State basketball fans nervous about Malaki Branham". ScarletAndGame.com. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  12. "2021–22 Big Ten Men's Basketball Postseason Honors Announced" (Press release). Big Ten Conference. March 8, 2022. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  13. 1 2 Givony, Jonathan (April 1, 2022). "Ohio St.'s Branham enters draft, but may return". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  14. Jardy, Adam (April 27, 2022). "2022 NBA draft: Ohio State's Malaki Branham says goodbye to Buckeyes". The Columbus Dispatch . Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  15. "Spurs select Jeremy Sochan, Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley in 2022 NBA draft". NBA.com. June 23, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  16. "San Antonio Spurs 2022 NBA2K23 Summer League Roster". NBA.com. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  17. "San Antonio Spurs vs Cleveland Cavaliers Jul 8, 2022 Box Scores". NBA.com. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  18. Pederson, Landon (July 8, 2022). "Spurs Sign 2022 First Round Draft Pick Malaki Branham". NBA.com. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  19. "Spurs Acquire Kelly Olynyk". NBA.com. July 9, 2025. Retrieved July 9, 2025.