The 2024 Paris Olympics haven’t started yet, but South Sudan’s men’s basketball team is already one of the feel-good stories of the summer, and former Miami Heat forward Luol Deng’s fingerprints are all over it.
“When we have a game, the whole country stops,” Deng told SSGTV News. “… To be able to have this amazing opportunity is just wonderful. We are so blessed to have this opportunity. I was there [before in 2012], but I represented GB (Great Britain). It’s not the same as representing the South Sudanese.”
Deng continued.
“All of these players got together and made a commitment to make a whole nation proud,” Deng said. “They want to make the South Sudanese proud. It’s beyond what I thought to be honest.”
South Sudan only gained independence from Sudan in 2011. That opened the door for the newly established country to make a splash in the basketball world.
In 2019, Deng was informed that South Sudan’s government was looking for someone to run its basketball program. That same year, he became the president of the South Sudan Basketball Federation.
He got to work, briefly serving as the head coach of the men’s basketball team before passing it off to NBA assistant coach Royal Ivey.
From there, Deng focused on recruiting and targeting players with South Sudan ties. Despite facing roster-building challenges, he was able to add some talent.
The men’s team’s path to the 2024 Paris Olympics wasn’t always pretty. In 2020, the team took part in an African qualifying tournament — only to have several members of the team test positive for COVID-19, which forced the squad out of the tourney.
South Sudan went 1-1 there and lost out on a spot in the AfroBasket qualifier. However, by chance, Algeria — a team in the AfroBasket — was forced to withdraw due to COVID-19 issues of its own.
South Sudan rushed to throw together a team of available players and entered the event, where it ultimately did enough to qualify for the World Cup. It was there — at the World Cup — that the South Sudan men’s team officially qualified for the Olympics, marking a massive milestone for Deng and company.
On Saturday, South Sudan had the attention of the basketball world by nearly stunning Team USA in an exhibition game. The Americans narrowly escaped with a 101-100 win in a game that South Sudan led at numerous points.
While it wasn’t the result that South Sudan was looking for, the team will clearly need to be taken seriously in the upcoming Olympics by its opponents.
Deng — who spent two seasons with the Heat during his NBA career — has made a wonderful impact with South Sudan’s basketball program, and he may just be getting started.
