Nuni Omot

Anunwa "Nuni" Omot (born October 3, 1994) is a South Sudanese-American professional basketball player for Al Ahly of the Egyptian Basketball Premier League. He played college basketball for the Baylor Bears after two years at Concordia University and Indian Hills Community College. Omot is most known for his MVP season in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) with Al Ahly. On the national team level, Omot represents the South Sudan national team. He played with the Bright Stars at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the 2024 Olympics.

Early life Omot was born in a refugee camp in Nairobi, Kenya to Pillow and Kwot Omot. His parents and brother Aba lived in the camp for three years, following a dangerous 440-mile journey from Gambela, Ethiopia to the Kenyan border in escape from an ongoing civil war. They were arrested, spending one week in prison, before being freed with help from the United Nations and settling in the camp, which was crowded and did not provide adequate food. However, his father was barred from the United States for medical reasons.

Living in Minnesota, Omot was looked after by his brother Aba, while his mother worked two jobs at Menards and Burlington Coat Factory to support the family. Omot accepted a scholarship to Baylor on November 12, 2015. He averaged 4.0 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. Omot put in a lot of work in the summer of 2017 to improve his game. However, Omot struggled to start Big 12 play and was replaced in the starting lineup by Mark Vital. On February 20, in a game against West Virginia, Omot met his father for the first time in 21 years. As a senior, Omot averaged 9.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. He shot 48.9 percent from the field and 43.3 percent on three-pointers, which was fifth in the Big 12 Conference. On September 25, 2018, he signed with the Brooklyn Nets on a training camp deal. Omot was waived by the Nets on October 11. He was subsequently added to the roster of the Nets’ NBA G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets.

Playing during the coronavirus pandemic

On July 26, 2019, Omot signed with Macedonian club MZT Skopje. Omot averaged 18.5 points on 60% shooting in seven games.

On November 22, 2019, Omot was announced by ZZ Leiden of the Dutch Basketball League (DBL). His contract with Leiden began December 1. The 2019–20 season was cancelled prematurely in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Omot averaged 11.8 points the DBL, and 17.8 points in the FIBA Europe Cup, the fourth level European competition.

Turkey On June 12, 2020, Omot signed with the Turkish club Tofaş of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). On December 9, 2020, he was loaned to Trefl Sopot of PLK. Omot averaged 17.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

Gießen 46ers On July 20, 2021, Omot signed with the German club Gießen 46ers of the Basketball Bundesliga.

Puerto Rico In 2022, Omot played in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional, Puerto Rico's professional league, with Leones de Ponce.

Westchester Knicks (2022–2023) In September 2022, the New York Knicks added Omot to their training camp roster. On September 23, 2022, Omot signed a contract with the New York Knicks.

Lakeland Magic (2023) On March 2, 2023, Omot was traded to the Lakeland Magic.

Al Ahly (2023)

In April 2023, Omot joined the Egyptian club Al Ahly ahead of their maiden campaign in the Basketball Africa League (BAL). He made his debut on April 26, scoring a team-high 21 points in a 92–73 opening day win over Ferroviário da Beira.

On May 27, 2023, Al Ahly won their first-ever BAL championship after defeating AS Douanes in the final behind Omot's 22-point game. Omot was named the BAL Most Valuable Player, becoming the first African player to win the award.

On July 30, 2023, Omot signed with the Taichung Suns of the T1 League. On October 13, it was reported that all import players of the Taichung Suns left the team.

Chorale Roanne (2023–2024) On October 29, 2023, Omot joined the French club Chorale Roanne of the LNB Pro A for the remainder of the season.

On January 17, 2024, Omot left the Chorale Roanne.

Ningbo Rockets (2024) on February 19, 2024, Omot signed with the Ningbo Rockets of the Chinese Basketball Association.

Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan (2024) On April 9, 2024, Omot signed with Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He played in eight games with Ramat Gan, averaging 15 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

Beijing Ducks (2024–2025) On October 2, 2024, Omot signed with Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

APR (2025) In May 2025, Omot joined the Rwandan champions APR ahead of the 2025 BAL playoffs, returning to the Basketball Africa League again after a one-year absence.

Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots (2026) On March 11, 2026, Omot signed with the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). On March 24, 2026, he was replaced by Clint Chapman.

Al-Ittihad Tripoli (2026–Present) On April 9, 2026, Omot signed with the Al-Ittihad Tripoli team of Libyan Basketball League.

National team career In February 2021, Omot was selected by the South Sudan national basketball team to play in the qualifiers for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Omot made his debut on February 17, 2021, against Nigeria. He played a key role in the team and on February 25, 2023, Omot scored a team-high 26 points in the 83–75 win over Senegal that ensured South Sudan's first-ever qualification for the World Cup.

On August 30, 2023, while playing against Serbia, Omot unintentionally struck Borisa Simanic in the kidney during an offense. This blow resulted in a major injury which required his kidney to be removed.

Omot was a key player for South Sudan at the 2024 Olympics, where the country made its Olympic debut. He scored the first points for the country in the opening day win over Puerto Rico.