WATCH: Ohio State's Malaki Branham has great reaction to Gregg Popovich phone call
After bursting onto the scene as a freshman at Ohio State, Malaki Branham is off to the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs. He had a great reaction to his first conversation with Gregg Popovich, too.
The Spurs took Branham with the No. 20 overall pick in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft. He had a great freshman year with the Buckeyes, averaging 13.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game en route to Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. Now, he’s getting ready to join the Spurs and play for Popovich, one of the all-time great coaches in the league.
When asked what it was like to talk with the winningest coach in NBA history, Branham kept it brief.
“Crazy,” he said. “I’m super excited. That’s all I can say.”
2022 NBA Draft: San Antonio Spurs select Malaki Branham, Ohio State shooting guard
Ohio State shooting guard Malaki Branham went off the board in the 2022 NBA Draft as the No. 20 pick of the first round by the San Antonio Spurs.
A four-star recruit in the Class of 2021, Malaki Branham declared for the draft after one college season. During that one year at Ohio State, Branham helped Ohio State go 20-12 and make the NCAA Tournament. There, the Buckeyes fell in the second round to Villanova.
During the 2021-22 season, Malaki Branham had multiple games with better than 30 points. That includes his season-high 35-point performance against Nebraska and 31 points in a thriller against Illinois. He was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and was Third Team All-Big Ten.
In his one season at Ohio State, Branham averaged 13.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. He shot 49.8% from the field and 41.6% from three-point range.
It should be no surprise that Malaki Branham is a top-ranked prospect in the 2-22 NBA Draft. Mock drafts from ESPN and CBS Sports have predicted that Branham would go at 16th and 15th, respectively.