BIO: Akoldah Gak was born in Sydney in 2002 to South Sudanese parents who had migrated to Australia.

He attended St Dominic’s College and began playing junior basketball with the Penrith program.

In 2018, he earned a scholarship to Blair Academy in the United States through a pathway linked to Luol Deng.

At Blair Academy, he played senior high school basketball in the NEPSAC system, competing against elite national prep programs including IMG Academy.

Standing around 6-foot-11, he developed as a rim-protecting center focused on defense, rebounding, and screening.

During the 2017–18 season, he was part of a roster that included future professionals like Darius Bazley and competed in high-profile showcase events.

As he prepared for the NBA Draft during the COVID-19 pandemic, his family opted for him to begin his professional pathway in Australia through the NBL.

FAMILY: Akoldah’s brother, Gorjok Gak also played 75 games in the NBL. Gak has two older brothers who played college basketball. Gorjok for the California Baptist Lancers and Deng for the Miami Hurricanes.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Akoldah Gak made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 18 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

On 12 October 2020, Akoldah Gak signed a three-year deal with the Illawarra Hawks as a development player for the 2020/21 NBL season. His debut coincided with a transformative period for the Hawks, as the team navigated significant financial challenges. After falling into voluntary administration in April 2020, the Hawks were saved by new ownership in June, led by Dorry Kordahi, Bryan Colangelo, and Michael Proctor.

Under the new leadership, the team was rebranded as “The Hawks” to broaden their appeal, and Brian Goorjian was appointed as head coach. With an almost entirely rebuilt roster, the Hawks signed notable names such as Deng Adel, Cam Bairstow, Tyler Harvey, Justin Simon, and Next Star Justinian Jessup. Returning players included Sam Froling and Emmett Naar.

Despite the off-court changes, the Hawks’ season began with drama, including the omission of fan favorites AJ Ogilvy and Tim Coenraad. Both were later added as injury replacements. Mid-season, the team regained its traditional “Illawarra” name, a significant moment for the Wollongong community.

Gak’s playing opportunities were limited as a development player, appearing in four games and scoring a total of four points. Despite his limited role, the Hawks had a strong finish to the regular season, winning eight of their final 10 games to finish third (20-16) and secure their first playoff berth since 2017.

In the semifinals, Illawarra faced the defending champion Perth Wildcats but fell short, losing the series in three games.

2021/22
Elevated to the Hawks’ full-time roster, Akoldah Gak entered the 2021/22 season as Illawarra sought to build on its success. Returning leading scorer Tyler Harvey was joined by new imports Antonius Cleveland and Xavier Rathan-Mayes, with the latter replacing Travis Trice after his preseason release. Other additions included Duop Reath, fresh from an impressive Boomers campaign, and Harry Froling, reuniting with his brother Sam.

The Hawks delivered a strong regular season, finishing second (19-9), but fell short in the semifinals against cross-town rivals Sydney. Gak, primarily used as a rotational player, appeared in eight games, averaging 1.9 points and 0.6 rebounds. He provided energy and depth during a season that saw Tyler Harvey and Duop Reath emerge as key contributors.

Reath claimed the team MVP award with averages of 15.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks, while Antonius Cleveland earned the Damian Martin Trophy for Defensive Player of the Year and was named to the All-NBL First Team.

2022/23
Illawarra began the 2022/23 season following consecutive semifinal appearances, but Brian Goorjian departed to coach the Bay Area Dragons and assistant Jacob Jackomas was promoted as his replacement. Duop Reath (to Lebanon), Justinian Jessup (to Spain), Antonius Cleveland (to Adelaide), Xavier Rathan-Mayes (to Melbourne) and Harry Froling (to Brisbane) departed, while AJ Ogilvy retired. Deng Deng (via Brisbane), Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (via Sydney), Mangok Mathiang (via Casey), Justin Robinson and George King were added.

Akoldah Gak entered the final season of the three-year contract he signed in 2020, having been elevated from development player to Illawarra’s main roster. He remained behind Sam Froling, Mathiang and Deng in the frontcourt rotation, limiting his opportunities despite remaining available throughout the season.

The young centre made his first appearance against New Zealand on October 17, finishing with 2 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist as Tyler Harvey (12 points and 2 steals) led the Hawks, while Will McDowell-White (17 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block) guided the Breakers to an 88-62 win.

Gak (1 point across 13 games) came off the bench in every appearance, with his minutes increasing during the final weeks after injuries and roster changes depleted Illawarra’s frontcourt. His limited appearances resulted from his position in the rotation rather than a reported injury.

Gak’s best game came against New Zealand at the WIN Entertainment Centre on February 2, where he recorded career-highs with 5 points and 6 rebounds while adding 1 assist in 17 minutes. Harvey (22 points and 2 steals) and Froling (17 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks) led Illawarra, while Barry Brown Jr (22 points) and Jarrell Brantley (20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) guided the Breakers to a 91-81 win.

Harvey (18.9 points and 1.5 steals across 27 games) received the Members’ Choice Award, while Froling (14 points and 8 rebounds across 28 games) was named club MVP. Deng (8.6 points and 6.5 rebounds across 28 games) and Mathiang (7.7 points and 5.1 rebounds across 25 games) were the other major contributors, while Wani Swaka Lo Buluk received the Defensive Player of the Year award and Gak was voted Players’ Player by his teammates.

Gak finished the season against Tasmania at the WIN Entertainment Centre on February 4 with 3 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist in 15 minutes. Harvey (13 points) and Froling (12 points and 7 rebounds) led Illawarra, while Milton Doyle (20 points, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists) guided the JackJumpers to an 87-63 win, leaving the Hawks in 10th place with a franchise-worst 3-25 record.

CAIRNS TAIPANS
2023/24
A deciding semifinal loss to eventual champions Sydney ended Cairns’ 18-10 campaign the previous season, leaving coach Adam Forde to reshape the roster around captain Tahjere McCall, Bul Kuol, Sam Waardenburg, Lat Mayen and Jonah Antonio. Keanu Pinder (to Perth), DJ Hogg (to Sydney), Shannon Scott and Gabe Hadley (to Brisbane), Majok Deng (to Tasmania), Ben Ayre (to South East Melbourne) and Mirko Djeric (released) exited, while Patrick Miller (via Bamberg), Sam Mennenga (via Davidson), Taran Armstrong (via California Baptist), Bobi Klintman (via Wake Forest), Josh Roberts (via Manhattan), Lachlan Anderson (via Skopje), Alex Mudronja (via Illawarra) and Kian Dennis (via Southern Districts) joined the team.

Gak (via Illawarra) signed a two-year deal with Cairns after three seasons with the Hawks and receiving their Players’ Player Award in NBL23. He then averaged 17.3 points and 9.4 rebounds with the Southern Districts Spartans in NBL1 North before joining the Chicago Bulls for NBA Summer League. Forde said, “AK is exciting. He has the ideal blend of strength and athleticism that’ll complement our style of play.”

Cairns opened the season at Spark Arena on September 30, where Gak (8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals) played 22:12 off the bench, but New Zealand won 98-87. Mennenga (17 points and 4 rebounds) and Miller (15 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals) led the Taipans, while Parker Jackson-Cartwright (25 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, and 6 steals) controlled the game for the Breakers.

Gak (5.5 points and 3.7 rebounds across 22 games) made four starts and increased his playing time from 5.5 minutes per game during his final season with Illawarra to 13.1 minutes with Cairns. He shot 60 per cent from the field and 42 per cent from three-point range, giving Forde another athletic frontcourt option capable of finishing above the rim and stretching the floor.

His first extended opportunity came against Washington during the NBLxNBA tour after illness ruled out Waardenburg and Mennenga and Roberts was unavailable through injury. Gak (17 points and 9 rebounds) led the depleted Taipans in a 145-82 loss to the Wizards, carrying the frontcourt against NBA opposition.

Gak’s best scoring and rebounding game came at the Cairns Convention Centre on January 13 after Waardenburg was sidelined through concussion. Gak (21 points, 14 rebounds, and 2 steals) made nine of 11 field-goal attempts and caught Armstrong’s alley-oop for the final basket of regulation as Cairns recovered from 16 points down to defeat Adelaide 111-101 in overtime. McCall (30 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) and Miller (25 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, and 1 steal) led the comeback, while Humphries (28 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block) was Adelaide’s best. The first double-double of his NBL career came in a season-high 28 minutes, with Gak saying, “It’s good for my confidence, it showed the hard work I’ve been doing.”

Miller (19.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.2 steals) led the offence and received Cairns’ Most Valuable Player and Players’ Player awards, while McCall (17 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.9 steals) was named Defensive Player of the Year. Kuol (12.7 points and 3.1 rebounds), Klintman (9.7 points and 4.8 rebounds), Waardenburg (9.7 points and 5.2 rebounds), Armstrong (7.7 points and 4 rebounds), Mayen (6.9 points and 3.5 rebounds) and Mennenga (6.9 points and 3.9 rebounds) were the other main contributors. Klintman received the Members’ Choice MVP, Mayen the Coaches Award and Mudronja (0.2 points across 9 games) the Commitment to Community award.

Gak was ruled out of the final game with flu symptoms as McCall (23 points, 9 rebounds, 10 assists, and 3 steals) and Miller (20 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists) led Cairns to a 97-88 home win over first-placed Melbourne on February 16, while Ian Clark (20 points) was United’s leading scorer. The victory completed the Taipans’ first regular-season sweep of Melbourne and left Cairns eighth with a 12-16 record.

2024/25
Heading into NBL25, Cairns entered a new era with a restructured roster following the exits of Patrick Miller and Tahjere McCall. Additional departures included Bul Kuol (Sydney), Lat Mayen (Adelaide), Bobi Klintman (NBA Draft), and Josh Roberts, creating multiple vacancies in the rotation.

To rebuild, the Taipans brought in imports Rob Edwards, Pedro Bradshaw, and Tanner Groves, promoted Taran Armstrong to captain and starting point guard, and added experienced contributors such as Kyle Adnam (Illawarra), Jackson Makoi (Sydney), and Kyrin Galloway (Adelaide). Sam Waardenburg re-signed to lead the frontcourt, while development players Kody Stattmann and Alex Higgins-Titsha added youth and energy. Akoldah Gak returned as an athletic forward with defensive upside and interior rebounding presence.

Cairns began the season with some promising wins but fell into a major slump beginning in late October. Despite a 3–1 start, including back-to-back wins over Tasmania and Melbourne, the Taipans dropped 10 consecutive games across November and December. Defensive breakdowns and late-game execution issues became consistent themes, and injuries further compounded the club’s struggles.

Akoldah Gak was a key depth piece in the frontcourt, offering strong rebounding and rim protection off the bench. He played a larger role as injuries mounted across the frontcourt, and while his offensive contributions were modest, Gak’s defensive mobility and rebounding tenacity helped stabilize lineups lacking size. He was particularly effective crashing the glass and protecting the paint.

By year’s end, Cairns had plummeted to a 3–16 record and sat bottom of the NBL ladder. Taran Armstrong missed several games with an ankle sprain in Round 3 warmups, while Tanner Groves dealt with a calf injury that saw him miss multiple weeks. Only Kyrin Galloway managed to appear in all 28 games. With the starting five missing 25 combined games, the Taipans brought in Deshon Taylor (3 games) and Tad Dufelmeier Jr (4 games) to provide short-term support.

January saw some turnaround, with the team winning four games and competing more consistently. Rob Edwards remained a scoring machine, including a 35-point game against Brisbane, and Armstrong recorded a triple-double in a home win over the Bullets. Cairns finished the season 8–21, bottom of the ladder with the NBL’s lowest points percentage. Shortly after, head coach Adam Forde and the club mutually agreed to part ways.

Sam Waardenburg (14.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists) was a reliable two-way force and earned Club MVP, Defensive Player, and Members’ Choice MVP honours. Tanner Groves (13.5 points and 5.7 rebounds) and Pedro Bradshaw (10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds) were strong contributors, while Kyrin Galloway (7.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.1 blocks), Alex Higgins-Titsha (6.2 points, 3.9 rebounds), and Akoldah Gak ( 6.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks) delivered breakout campaigns in expanded roles.

Gak appaered in 21 games, His best performances included a 14-point, 8-rebound game against Melbourne United on October 6, a 12-point, 10-rebound outing against Adelaide on January 19, and another 12-point, 10-rebound effort against Illawarra on October 19. Gak’s size, athleticism, and rebounding instincts gave Cairns critical minutes through a season impacted by injuries.

Akoldah Gak played five seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Illawarra Hawks and the Cairns Taipans. He averaged 4.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 68 NBL games.