Paris Olympics 2024: Luol Deng, the miracle man South Sudan

Criticized in NBA then the many sacrifices for South Sudan

South Sudan’s national basketball team is participating in the Olympics for the first time in its history. After the World Cup, here comes Paris 2024. An incredible achievement for a country struggling with poverty and civil war. The players of the South Sudan basketball team are considered heroes in their homeland.

The existence of this team and, consequently, its presence in the Olympics, è linked to Luol Deng. As unveiled by coach Royal Ivey, the former NBA basketball player has been financing the national team program for the past four years, paying for training gyms, hotels, airline tickets and everything needed to enable the players to then give their best on the court.

Since è leading South Sudan’s basketball federation, Luol Deng has spent his money to make his country excel and send a message of hope to the entire population. And to say that, several years ago, Luol Deng was a name that, in the NBA, was associated with less than uplifting issues. One has to go back to 2016 and his contract with signed with the LA Lakers.

Luol Deng signs, in fact, a contract of as much as $72 million. The performance on the court, also due to so many injuries, è poor, so much so that his contract is branded as one of the worst in the history of the NBA's. Many accused him of being a profiteer. A few years later, no one dares anymore to think ill of a man who, out of his own pocket, contributed to the South Sudan miracle.