Look: Louisville Center Aly Khalifa Transforms Body During Rehab Process

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - While Aly Khalifa has been unable to play this season for the Louisville men's basketball program, it's been clear that he has been hard at work away from public eyes.

The 6-foot-11 transfer center from BYU has been using this season to rehab a lingering knee injury, taking advantage of a redshirt season so he can be good to go for the Cardinals for the 2025-26 season. During this time, he's also been steadily improving his overall physique.

While Louisville's online roster lists him at 275 pounds, during his official visit to campus in the spring, Khalifa weighed as much as 299 pounds and was noticeably overweight. While still very talented, it was clear that some work needed to be done in this department.

Several months later, the fruits of Khalifa's labor are panning out.

On Tuesday, Louisville's head strength and conditioning coach Eli Foy posted on Instagram showcasing Khalifa's progress since first getting on campus. Now, Khalifa is all the way down to 250 pounds and has packed on an immense amount of upper body muscle tone.

Wow. Louisville center Aly Khalifa has had an incredible transformation during his rehab process.

Strength coach Eli Foy has done an amazing job. pic.twitter.com/dMdnnV6CXM
— Matt McGavic (@Matt_McGavic) February 18, 2025

"So proud of Aly’s progress," Foy said in his IG post. "The accountability, effort, and commitment to a healthy lifestyle has been inspiring to watch.This dude brings it every single day. Still more work to be done! 🧱 by 🧱"

Head coach Pat Kelsey revealed that Khalifa, as well as guard Kobe Rodgers, were cleared to resume practice activities last month. However, Kelsey was clear to add that there is "a million percent" chance that they will not play this season.

"Being cleared to play, and being able to play at a high level (are different)," he said. "They can give you a possession or two at a time. It's going to take them time to get stronger, 100 percent."

Playing his first season at the power conference level after spending his first two years at Charlotte, Khalifa saw his production dip some, but still proved to be one of the best passing big men in the nation. In 29 games and 26 starts, the 6-foot-11, 255-pound center averaged 4.0 assists to just 1.1 turnovers per game, with his 3.59 assist-to-turnover ratio ranking seventh in D1. He also put up 5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, and shot 38.6 percent from the field plus 31.5 percent on threes.

"Aly is one of the best passing big men in all of basketball," Kelsey said in a statement at the time of his summer signing. "His assist to turnover ratio is astonishingly positive. He plays the game with a level of intelligence and creativity that is rare to see. He's a high IQ player that has been well coached throughout his basketball career. Aly's unselfishness and passion for helping others extends off the court as well. He has a fantastic heart and a great way about him."

His best season came as a sophomore at Charlotte in 2022-23, when he averaged 11.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 34 starts. As a true freshman with the 49ers, Khalifa was named the Conference USA Rookie of the Year after putting up 7.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 32 appearances and 30 starts.

While Khalifa is an Egyptian native born in Alexandria, he played his prep ball at the NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia, where there was a connection forged to the new UofL staff. During Khalifa's time down under, Louisville assistant coach Michael Cassidy worked at the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence, which worked alongside the NBA Global Academy.

(Photo of Aly Khalifa: Matt Stone/Courier Journal/USAToday Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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