Former two-time Chicago Bulls All-Star forward Luol Deng has found a second life helping his first home.
The 6-foot-9 swingman, 39, was born in Wau, in what at the time was Sudan — but since 2011 has been a part of the freshly-formed nation South Sudan. After stints in Egypt, London, and finally New Jersey growing up, Deng emerged as a one-and-done star while at Duke, before being selected by the Phoenix Suns on behalf of the Bulls in the 2004 NBA Draft (Chicago already had acquired his draft rights).
Deng himself has bankrolled Team South Sudan in recent seasons, as the club has developed an international program good enough to qualify for this year’s Paris Olympics, according to Donatas Urbonas of Basket News. Given that he’s earned some $166.1 million on the court — and upwards of $125 million of it, per Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes — he seemingly can afford the scratch.
Carlik Jones of South Sudan during the Men’s Basketball Group Phase – Group C match between Team South Sudan and Team Puerto Rico on day two of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade Pierre Mauroy on July 28, 2024 in Lille, France. South Sudan beat Puerto, 90-79, in the match.
Getty Images/Christina Pahnke
On Sunday, during their first official game of the group phase, South Sudan vanquished Puerto Rico, 90-79 — netting the new nation’s first-ever Olympic victory. To be fair, it’s only a 13-year-old country.
“We don’t have the pleasure of having a gymnasium, dorms, and other facilities. We had a tough training camp in Rwanda, then traveled to Spain, moving around a lot, taking long flights, and giving up exit rows to my seven-footers. These are the things people don’t talk about. They don’t see us getting delayed for seven hours in the airport while we’re in Chad,” head coach Royal Ivey reflected. During the NBA season, Ivey serves as an assistant coach with the Houston Rockets.
“Luol Deng has been funding this thing for four years out of his own pocket. He pays for gyms, hotels, plane tickets—everything. Kudos to Luol and the staff. We wouldn’t have been able to put this team together without them,” Ivey said.
South Sudan’s impressive run this summer began even before the games started to count. The club almost beat a star-studded Team USA during an exhibition bout, at one point leading by as many as 16 points. South Sudan ultimately fell, 101-100, after South Sudan center Wenyen Gabriel couldn’t get a shot off against his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Anthony Davis, manning the middle for the other side.
Read More: LeBron James Hits Game-Winner as Team USA Survives Matchup Against South Sudan
Deng was a critical contributor on several chippy also-ran East squads in Chicago and later with the Miami Heat, during a 15-year career that also featured stops on the Cleveland Cavaliers, Lakers, and Minnesota Timberwolves. In his prime, he was a terrific, switchy defender and supplemental scorer. Across 902 regular season contests (828 starts), he posted averages of 14.8 points while slashing .456/.332/.769, 6.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.5 blocks a night.
Next up for South Sudan is a rematch against Team USA on Wednesday night. This time, however, the final score will actually count.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
