Malaki Branham

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

Early life Branham was raised in Columbus, Ohio. Starting in fifth grade, he trained under Jason Dawson in Columbus. He moved to Akron, Ohio where he attended high school at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School. At St. Vincent–St. Mary, he won two state championships in 2018 and 2021. He was named first team All-Ohio in his junior and senior seasons. 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 and made the Jordan Brand Classic, which was not played due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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.

College career

Branham started his college career off the bench, but quickly became a regular starter. He scored a career-high 35 points in a 87–79 overtime win against Nebraska after a nearly month-long COVID pause. In a three-game stretch in February, he scored 22, 27 and 31 points. 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. On April 1, 2022, Branham declared for the 2022 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility. He later signed with an agent, forgoing his remaining eligibility. He was projected as a potential lottery pick in the draft. Branham joined the Spurs' 2022 NBA Summer League team. In his Summer League debut, Branham scored fifteen points in a 99–90 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. On July 8, 2022, Branham signed a rookie-scale contract with the Spurs. He made 66 total appearances (including 32 starts) for San Antonio during his rookie campaign, averaging 10.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists.

Branham played in 75 games (including 29 starts) for the Spurs during the 2023–24 NBA season, averaging 9.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. He made 47 appearances off of the bench for San Antonio in the 2024–25 season, posting averages of 5.0 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.8 assists.

Washington Wizards (2025–2026) On July 9, 2025, Branham and Blake Wesley were traded to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Kelly Olynyk. Branham made 28 appearances for Washington during the 2025–26 season, averaging 4.6 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.8 assists.

On February 5, 2026, Branham was traded to the Charlotte Hornets in a three-team trade involving the Dallas Mavericks. On February 9, Branham was waived by the Hornets.

Cleveland Charge (2026) On March 9, 2026, Branham signed with the Cleveland Charge of the NBA G League.

Career statistics

NBA

College