Jongkuch Mach aims to play in the NBA for the San Antonio Spurs in San Antonio; could form unstoppable duo with Wembanyama

Who is Jongkuch Mach?: Top facts to know about the rising Australian basketball star

The 7ft 6in center says he’d like to play for the San Antonio Spurs and be paired up with transcendent talent and fellow seven-footer Victor Wembanyama to take over the NBA.

Jongkuch “JK” Mach has dreams that match his size.

Standing 7ft 6in (229 cm), Mach aspires to not only play in the NBA and become the league’s tallest player, he also wants to join forces with his role model.

“I want to be in San Antonio, playing with Victor Wembanyama ,” McKinlay told the Sydney Morning Herald on 20 May.

The South Sudanese-Australian, at 18, already stands two inches taller than the Frenchman, who, in his sophomore year, carried the Spurs to the 2026 NBA Finals.

Mach expects to continue growing and believes that he can potentially help his fellow seven-footer and Paris 2024 silver medallist win the championship in future campaigns.

“I’m taller than him, but together we would be unstoppable,” Mach told Blogdebasket on 30 July .

Buzz started about a talented big man out of Australia started making its way around NBA circles following this year’s Adidas Eurocamp championship in Treviso, Italy.

There, at the international pre-NBA Draft showcase, Mach helped the NBL Next Stars to a 66-62 victory over Eurocamp 1 on 13 June. The team also went 3-0 over the course of the tournament. Mach finished as the event leader in blocks per game (3) and top 10 in rebounds (5.3).

“It was a great feeling winning the Eurocamp just because of how unfamiliar a lot of us were with each other on the team,” Mach told NBL.com.au . “I thought we played extremely well defensively. We stayed disciplined, played physical defensively, and that dictated our offence."

Split path: Nextstars or college?

A major decision looms larger for Mach: Build in the Nextstars system or go to American college?

Both have their pros. NBA players RJ Hampton and LaMelo Ball famously helped improve their draft stock and skills in Australia, while American colleges have traditionally produced the NBA stars we see today.

There’s also the money to be made by going the collegiate route with the name, likeness and image deals available to today’s athletes. Mach has received interest from Colorado, LSU, Santa Clara, South Carolina, UNC Charlotte and Washington State.

Ultimately, the decision will be decided by which pathway will make the best basketball player and accelerate his development as an aspiring NBA prospect.

Mach’s agent, Solomon Dech told Foxsports.com.au on 21 January: “Each athlete has a unique journey.

“It’s important to sit down with the family, identify the ultimate goal, and then figure out the best developmental pathway to get there.

“Some guys work better in certain systems. Others are better suited to college or going overseas. It’s case by case – mentally and physically – and money is a by-product of the work they put in.”

Team France’s Victor Wembanyama roars in delight as they head into the men’s basketball final

Hold off on comparisons, just yet

It would be very easy to compare Wembanyama and Mach given their uniquely similar frame. But the Australian Institute of Sport’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) coach, Robbie McKinlay, cautions against doing so this early on.

“I was lucky enough to be on the (Australian) staff for the Under-19 World Cup where Wemby played and he was physically different, you just looked at him like, OK, he’s big, but then on the floor, his ability to block shots and make shots was incredible," McKinlay told the Sydney Morning Herald .

“So I don’t want to compare him to Wemby, because Wemby’s a unicorn, but he’s in that mould. Everyone who looks at JK, they just go, ‘Oh my goodness, that’s a tall human being’.”

Mach grew up with his six siblings in Perth. Before he reached 6ft 3in (193cm) as a 14-year-old, Mach had never formally played sports.

And due to that, he’s always been used to having attention on him. However, the interest from American colleges and pro prospects has all come in recent years with his transformation.

“When I first got here (to CoE) I was weighing in at 73 kilos, but now I’m sitting at 91 kilos, and it’s just been the nutrition,” Mach told the Sydney Morning Herald. “I go into the dining hall and just fuel up as much as I can.”

McKinlay said: “The biggest thing for him is his work ethic, and that’s very strong, he’s very coachable, he wants to be coached. He knows he’s got a lot of work to do, but he’s not afraid of the work, and I think that’s what makes it so intriguing to NBA scouts, is how good can this kid get? He’s still a long way to go, but he’s showing signs he wants to get to that highest level, and we’re here to support that.”

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Picture by Pascal Le Segretain