Wani Swaka Lo Buluk

Hawks ID: 224

Wani Swaka Lo Buluk was born in South Sudan and moved to Perth with his family at four years old. By his mid-20s he'd already won more NBL championships than most players manage in a full career.

Built for Winning

Swaka Lo Buluk broke into the league as a development player at Perth Wildcats, winning back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020. A move to Sydney Kings in 2021/22 delivered a third ring. He joined Illawarra in 2022 as a 21-year-old with a championship pedigree most veterans don't have.

The Lockdown Wing

Under coach Justin Tatum, Swaka Lo Buluk grew into one of the competition's premier defensive wings, taking on the toughest defensive assignments in the league night after night. He represented the Boomers in the Australian team's gold medal-winning 2022 FIBA Asia Cup campaign.

Fourth Ring, New Ceiling

The 2024/25 championship was Swaka Lo Buluk's fourth NBL title, and his first with Illawarra. He's since pushed his game further, posting career-high numbers across scoring, rebounding and steals in 2025/26. "Achieving these career highs and stuff is obviously meaningful, but not doing it consistently brings you back down in a way," he said. "I push myself real hard to be" perfect, even knowing it isn't realistic. It's that mentality, as much as the highlight defensive plays, that's carried him from development player to four-time champion.

Numbers

130 games for the Hawks, 21st (equal) on the club's all-time games played list as of the end of NBL26.

175-plus games across his full NBL career including Perth and Sydney.

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