Los Angeles Lakers Sign Texas Longhorns Undrafted Free Agent Arthur Kaluma

Arthur Kaluma, after completing his senior year with the Texas Longhorns, declared for the 2025 NBA draft at the end of the season. Despite impressive performances peppered throughout his career, Kaluma was not selected in the draft, but still signed with a storied NBA franchise.

According to ESPN analyst Jonathan Givony, Kaluma has signed a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers as an undrafted free agent.

This was the third time Kaluma entered the pre-draft process, previously returning to school on the first two occasions.

What the Lakers are getting in Arthur Kaluma

Kaluma played with three teams in his four-year college career, his first two seasons coming with the Creighton Blue Jays. With Creighton, Kaluma was elected to the Big East All-Freshman team in the 2021-22 season and was part of back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the Elite Eight in his sophomore season.

After Creighton, Kaluma transferred to Kansas State, where he spent a year with the Wildcats. At Kansas State, Kaluma was an honorable All-Big 12 mention and averaged a career high 14.4 points per game. Electing to transfer a second time prior to his senior season, Kaluma finished his college career with the Texas Longhorns.

The Longhorns were welcoming to Kaluma, relying on his playmaking abilities as a support for one of the nation's elite scorers and top 10 NBA draft pick, Tre Johnson. Kaluma finished his lone season with Texas averaging 12.3 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game, 1.8 assists per game and recording a 46.2 field goal percentage, a career high. Kaluma then entered the pre-draft process at the end of this past season.

Prior to the draft, Kaluma was ranked 52nd among the NBA's top 75 draft prospects by The Athletic. Credited for his ability to rebound and offer secondary rim protection, Kaluma was believed to have a chance at being taken off the board at some point in this week's draft. At the conclusion of the second and final round of the draft, Kaluma still did not have a team

That's when the Lakers came knocking, signing Kaluma to a contract shortly after day two of the draft concluded.

The Lakers, the current home of NBA superstars Lebron James and Luka Doncic, finished the 2024-25 season with the third-best record in the Western Conference at 50-32. Despite two of the best players in the NBA on their roster in James and Doncic, the Lakers did not perform to expectations, losing their first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, 4-1.

Kaluma though, does join one of the best rosters in the NBA and one of the most storied franchises amongst all North American sports. No longer in college and finally able to play at the professional level, this first season in the NBA may be one to remember for Kaluma, possibly playing with some of the best in the league.