Akoldah Gak

Akoldah Gak
No. 13 – Cairns Taipans
PositionSmall forward / power forward
LeagueNBL
Personal information
Born (2002-07-12) 12 July 2002 (age 22)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Listed height210 cm (6 ft 11 in)
Listed weight102 kg (225 lb)
Career information
High school
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–2023Illawarra Hawks
2022Illawarra Hawks (NBL1 East)
2023Southern Districts Spartans
2023–presentCairns Taipans
2024West Adelaide Bearcats
Career highlights and awards

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

Early life

Gak was born in Sydney, New South Wales, to parents who had fled South Sudan and moved to Australia.[1] He attended St Dominic's College in Sydney.[2] 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.[1]

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] Gak received limited playing time during his three seasons with the Hawks.[5]

In the 2022 off-season, Gak played for the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Summer League[6] and had a one-game stint with the Illawarra Hawks in the NBL1 East.[7] In the 2023 off-season, he played for the Southern Districts Spartans in the NBL1 North.[7]

On 10 April 2023, Gak signed a two-year deal with the Cairns Taipans.[8]

Gak joined the West Adelaide Bearcats for the 2024 NBL1 Central season.[7] He was named the NBL1 Central U23 Player of the Year.[9]

On 4 December 2024, Gak was ruled out for a month with a knee injury.[10]

National team career

Gak played for the Australia men's national under-19 basketball team at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup.[11] In 2022, he played for the Australian Boomers in three FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers.[12]

Personal life

Two of Gak's older brothers have played college basketball: Gorjok for the California Baptist Lancers and Deng for the Miami Hurricanes.[1][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c Red, Christian (5 December 2018). "Luol Deng helps connect Australia's South Sudanese basketball pipeline". ESPN. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Basketball success for former student, Akoldah Gak". St Dominic's College. June 2021. 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. ^ "NBA Aspirant Gak Signs in Cairns". NBL. 10 April 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Bulls announce Summer League 2022 schedule and roster". NBA. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  7. ^ a b c "Akoldah Gak". Australiabasket.com. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Taipans get Gak". taipans.com. 10 April 2023. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  9. ^ "2024 NBL1 Awards Tracker". NBL1.com.au. 22 July 2024. Archived from the original on 23 July 2024.
  10. ^ "Taipans Injury Update: NBL Round 11". Cairns Taipans | Official NBL Website. 4 December 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  11. ^ "Under 19 Men's 2021 World Cup Squad Revealed". Basketball Australia. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  12. ^ "Akoldah Gak". FIBA. Retrieved 28 April 2024.

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