South Sudan takes cue from Luol Deng's leadership

Luol Deng is making a lasting impact in South Sudan.

© Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Despite being rookies in the FIBA World Cup, South Sudan is playing like they belong. This is no coincidence, considering the man leading the country's federation is former Chicago Bulls All-Star and humanitarian Luol Deng. The Bright Stars made history earlier this week when they notched their first win in tournament history with a score of 89-69 versus China. Although they got crushed by Serbia, 115-83, the experience alone is invaluable for a developing program like South Sudan's.

Heart and soul

Deng spent ten years playing for the Bulls and earned recognition as one of the best two-way players in basketball during his time. He has carried that badge of excellence into his role as the South Sudan Basketball Federation president, where he has been instrumental in building the national team, promoting basketball, and providing resources for developing the sport in the new country.

"Luol Deng is the heart and soul of this," said former NBA guard Royal Ivey, whom Deng tapped as the Bright Stars head coach. "Without Luol, I wouldn't be sitting here right now. He had a great vision. I entrusted in his vision and it all came together. I'm in awe that I'm sitting here at the World Cup. I'm forever indebted to Luol for giving me an opportunity to coach this team."

Kept pushing

Just as Deng displayed unwavering determination in bouncing back from a life-threatening incident while playing for the Bulls, he acknowledged that building a formidable team for the FIBA tournament was far from a simple task. The road to success was filled with challenges, but his resilience ensured a strong team would grace the court.

"Things didn't always go our way, but we kept pushing," Deng said during his appearance on the Bulls Talk podcast. "We couldn't get players in the beginning to commit to see the bigger picture. But we kept pushing."