Inside The Heat

Miami Heat Legend Impressed By Luol Deng Using Own Funds To Help South Sudan Olympic Team

For four years Luol Deng has been paying all of the expenses for the South Sudanese squad.. It was his dream to bring Olympic basketball to his native country,

Scott Salomon

May 15, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Miami Heat forward Luol Deng (9) drives to the basket as Toronto Raptors center Bismack Biyombo (8) tries to defend during the second quarter in game seven of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
May 15, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Miami Heat forward Luol Deng (9) drives to the basket as Toronto Raptors center Bismack Biyombo (8) tries to defend during the second quarter in game seven of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports / Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Former Miami Heat small forward Luol Deng had a dream to bring Olympic basketball to his native South Sudan,

South Sudan did not have a team due to a lack of talent and money. The small country could not afford to support the expense of having a national team,

Enter Deng,

Deng played in the Olympics for Great Britain because South Sudan had no team. He wanted to change that, He did so by using some of the money he made in the NBA to help build the team.

"Luol Deng has been funding South Sudan's national basketball program out of his pocket for four years," said South Sudan coach Royal Ivey. "He pays for gyms, hotels, plane tickets - everything. Kudos to Luol and the staff. We wouldn't be able to put this team together without them."

Deng also serves as the president of the South Sudanese Olympic team.

During the telecast of the United States-Serbia game, Deng's former Heat teammate Dwyane Wade gave him a shout out. Wade is providing color commentary for NBC during the Olympics,

Wade mentioned how proud he was of Deng for what he accomplished in South Sudan.

The team lost to the U.S. in an exhibition game 101-100 after leading at halftime. South Sudan had a chance to win the game on the final possession, but the missed. It would have been the most stunning upset in U.S. Olympic basketball history.

Scott Salomon is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at sas@southfloridamedianetwork.com.

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Scott Salomon
SCOTT SALOMON

Scott Salomon joined FanNation on Sports Illustrated in April 2024 covering breaking news and analysis for the Miami Dolphins channel. In June he joined Inside the Heat and Back in the Day NBA. Scott is based in South Florida and has been covering the local and national sports scene for 35 years. Scott has covered and has been credentialed for the Super Bowl, the NFL Combine, various Orange Bowls and college football championship games. Scott was also credentialed for the NBA All-Star game and covered the Miami Heat during their first six seasons for USA TODAY. Scott is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Communication and the St. Thomas University School of Law. Scott has two sons and his hobbies include watching sports on television and binge watching shows on various streaming services. Twitter: @ScottSalomonNFL