The Los Angeles Lakers have signed Ugandan forward Arthur Kaluma following his stint in the NBA Summer League.
Kaluma featured in four games for the Lakers across the San Francisco and Las Vegas circuits. His standout performance came on July 14, when he scored 12 points in a 94-81 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, going 5-for-8 from the field and hitting two three-pointers.
The Lakers announced his signing on Saturday, alongside three other players: RJ Davis (North Carolina), Eric Dixon (Villanova), and Augustas Marčiulionis (St. Mary’s).
Shortly after the announcement, Kaluma posted on X, formerly Twitter:
“God so dope.”
The deal is a one-year, non-guaranteed minimum contract—standard for training camp invites. It gives the 23-year-old a shot at cracking the Lakers’ roster ahead of the 2025-2026 NBA season.
Kaluma’s journey to the pros has been steady. He played four collegiate seasons across Creighton, Kansas State, and most recently, the University of Texas, where he averaged 12.3 points and 7.5 rebounds in his final year with the Longhorns.
He spent two seasons at Creighton, helping the Bluejays reach the Elite Eight in 2023. After a stop at Kansas State, he transferred to Texas. He declared for the NBA Draft in 2023 but went undrafted.
Kaluma is no stranger to international competition. He played for Uganda in the 2021 AfroBasket and the 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.
Standing at 6-foot-7, Kaluma is a versatile wing with the ability to defend multiple positions—a trait the Lakers value. The team will now evaluate him through training camp.
He becomes the first Ugandan-born player to sign with an NBA team.
Other Ugandans, like Ishmail Wainright and Brandon Davies, have played in the league but came through naturalization. Kaluma was born in Boston to Ugandan parents, Patrick and Sarah Ariko.
Now, he steps into a locker room that includes basketball icons like LeBron James and Luka Dončić.
His signing marks a milestone not just for Uganda, but for African basketball as a whole—a new chapter for a player, and a country, eager to make their mark.
