Chicago Bulls fan favorite has turned Olympic hero

Some NBA players are beloved as much for what they do off the court as on it, which has been the case with Luol Deng of the Chicago Bulls. 

The Bulls first drafted Deng in 2004 with the 7th overall pick and it didn’t take him long to become a fan favorite. 

Deng was an immediate difference maker, known for his tenacious defense and all-around impact. As his game evolved, he turned into the prototype of the modern 3-and-D wing, a player similar to Ayo Dosunmu in some ways, another guy who fans love. 

Bulls fans are mostly blue-collar Midwesterners, so appreciate players who put in the work, who do their job without complaint or hunting glory, all things that applied to Deng, who played parts of 10 seasons in Chicago and went to two All-Star games. 

Now, Deng has applied that same tenacity to his home country, South Sudan, which he has led to the Olympics in more ways than one. 

Luol Deng is the savior of South Sudanese basketball 

Deng, who was born in Wau in what is currently South Sudan, is the president of the South Sudan Basketball Federation and has led his team to more Olympic success than they’ve ever had with their first ever win over Puerto Rico. 

This literally would not be possible without Deng, who is funding the team out of his own pocket according to a recent piece in BasketNews. 

"Luol Deng has been funding this thing for four years out of his own pocket. He pays for gyms, hotels, plane tickets—everything. Kudos to Luol and the staff. We wouldn't have been able to put this team together without them...” 

South Sudan is the newest country to join the Olympics and is its least funded after years of horrific civil war. Their showing in the Olympics is not just big for them as a country, but for NBA Africa as a whole, as the continent is an emerging powerhouse in basketball and it won’t be long before some of its countries start taking home medals. 

South Sudan’s story hasn’t all been positive, as they had to endure stupidity and racism from the likes of Gilbert Areas (to which Deng responded brilliantly) and the Olympics ruining one of their big moments by playing the wrong national anthem. Oops. 

Unfortunately, South Sudan’s Cinderella story didn’t make it to the quarter-finals, but I just wanted to say a big “good on ya” to Luol Deng, who continues to show as much class, talent and hard work off the court as he showed on it. 

He’s earned South Sudan at least one new fan and I can’t wait to see where Deng leads them.