It’s been only 13 years since South Sudan emerged from civil war and became an independent nation. For former NBA star Luol Deng that journey has a parallel connection with his introduction to basketball through fellow Sudanese countryman and former NBA player Manute Bol.
FILE - Luol Deng, right, accepts the 18th annual National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legacy Award before the 21st annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Game between the Phoenix Suns and the Memphis Grizzlies, Jan. 16, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn. It’s been only 13 years since South Sudan emerged from its second civil war to become an independent nation.
That meeting, along with connections Deng made at a small New Jersey boarding school, helped steer him and the South Sudan team on a path he believes has led to the first of many highlights on the world stage.Rising stars in men’s soccer to feature at the Paris OlympicsSouth Sudan’s basketball federation president since 2019, Deng thinks the team known as “The Bright Stars” can be a uniting force for a country that’s still finding its way after years of conflict.
Joe Mantegna had just been hired as Blair’s coach. His first two recruits were Royal Ivey, an 18-year-old from New York looking to play a post-graduate year, and Deng, who UConn had steered to Blair hoping he’d eventually follow in his brother Ajou Deng’s footsteps and play for the Huskies. Those conversations and the friendship continued after Deng went to Duke and eventually the NBA, where he became a two-time All-Star and played for five teams over 16 seasons.
“A lot of guys are refugees. And we grew up, we moved, so we’ve had the luxuries of having indoor courts and such things,” Omot said. “To go back home and start kind of at the beginning, obviously, we all had a vision of what it could be. It’s just a testament that’s going to show in the future”
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