Akoldah Gak

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Akoldah Gak
No. 47 – Illawarra Hawks
PositionForward
LeagueNBL
Personal information
Born (2002-07-12) 12 July 2002 (age 19)
Sydney, New South Wales
NationalityAustralian
Listed height211 cm (6 ft 11 in)
Listed weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–presentIllawarra Hawks

Akoldah Gak (born 12 July 2002) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League (NBL).

High school career[]

Gak attended St Dominic's College in Sydney, New South Wales.[1] Gak received a scholarship to attend Blair Academy in the United States in 2018 through a basketball pipeline that was established by professional basketball player and Blair alumni, Luol Deng.[2]

Professional career[]

On 12 October 2020, Gak signed a three-year deal with the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League (NBL).[3] He was rostered as a development player during the 2020–21 NBL season before he became a contracted player for the remainder of his tenure.[3] Gak's family chose for him to develop in Australia due to the global uncertainty from the COVID-19 pandemic; Hawks head coach Brian Goorjian considered the assignment of a National Basketball Association (NBA) prospect to his team as a "real compliment".[4]

National team career[]

Gak played for the Australia men's national under-19 basketball team at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup.[5]

Personal life[]

Gak was born in Sydney, New South Wales, in 2002 to parents who had left South Sudan to go to Egypt, but later moved to Australia. [2] Two of his older brothers have played college basketball: Gorjok for the California Baptist Lancers and Deng for the Miami Hurricanes.[2][4]

References[]

  1. ^ "Basketball success for former student, Akoldah Gak". St Dominic's College. June 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Red, Christian (5 December 2018). "Luol Deng helps connect Australia's South Sudanese basketball pipeline". ESPN. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Hawks Sign Akoldah Gak". NBL. 12 October 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  4. ^ a b "'NBA prospect' Gak signs as Hawks' NBL development player". Illawarra Mercury. 12 October 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Under 19 Men's 2021 World Cup Squad Revealed". Basketball Australia. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.

External links[]

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