Former Miami Heat player Luol Deng makes South Sudan proud with powerful impact on Olympic team

The 2024 Paris Olympics haven’t even started yet, but South Sudan’s men’s basketball team is already one of the summer’s biggest stories. Former Miami Heat forward Luol Deng’s fingerprints are all over it.

“When we have a match, the whole country stands still,” Deng told SSGTV News. “… It’s just amazing to have this great opportunity. We are so blessed to have this opportunity. I was there (earlier in 2012), but I represented GB (Great Britain). It’s not the same as representing the South Sudanese.”

Deng continued:

“All these players came together and promised to make a whole country proud,” Deng said. “They want to make the South Sudanese proud. It goes further than I thought, honestly.”

South Sudan only gained independence from Sudan in 2011, opening the door for the newly founded country to make a name for itself in the basketball world.

In 2019, Deng was informed that the government of South Sudan was looking for someone to run the basketball program. That same year, he became president of the South Sudan Basketball Federation.

He went to work and briefly served as head coach of the men’s basketball team before handing the team over to NBA assistant coach Royal Ivey.

From there, Deng focused on recruiting and targeting players with ties to South Sudan. Despite the challenges of building the squad, he was able to add some talent.

The men’s team’s path to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris has not always been pretty. In 2020, the team competed in an African qualifying tournament, but multiple team members tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the team to withdraw from the tournament.

South Sudan went 1-1 there and lost a spot in the AfroBasket qualifiers. However, coincidentally, Algeria — a team in the AfroBasket — had to withdraw due to COVID-19 issues.

South Sudan scrambled to assemble a team from available players and entered the event, where they ultimately did enough to qualify for the World Cup. It was there — at the World Cup — that the South Sudanese men’s team officially qualified for the Olympics, marking a huge milestone for Deng and co.

On Saturday, South Sudan captured the attention of the basketball world by nearly beating Team USA in an exhibition game. The Americans narrowly escaped with a 101-100 victory in a game in which South Sudan led by several points.

Although it was not the result South Sudan were hoping for, the team will have to be taken seriously by its opponents at the upcoming Olympic Games.

Deng, who played two seasons with the Heat during his NBA career, has had a tremendous impact on South Sudan’s basketball program and he may just be getting started.