South Sudan's beggarly poor experience "surreal" Olympic fairy tales
The basketball players of South Sudan are the big surprise at the Olympic Games in Paris. Before the rematch with the resurgent underdog, title favorite USA is mightily warned. The astonishing successes are closely linked to Luol Deng.
In South Sudan, there is a basketball stadium, but otherwise hardly any sports facilities and certainly no covered court. Nevertheless, the national team is currently making history with its first appearance at the Olympic Games. And it gives hope to one of the poorest countries in the world: South Sudan ranks 192nd out of 193 in the UN Human Development Index and is still marked by the civil war from 2013 to 2018 and its consequences.
Therefore, the team itself can hardly believe what is happening: "This is so surreal," said coach Royal Ivey after the convincing victory (90:79) in the tournament opener against Puerto Rico. It's a "blessing," said national player Nuni Omot, who scored the first points for his country. For the youngest country in the world, which has existed since 2011 and then sank into a chaotic war, in which a dictatorship reigns.
And yet: South Sudan has the best team on the African continent. A team that brought the big tournament favorite USA with LeBron James to the brink of a humiliating defeat in the Olympic preparations: 100:101 the underdog lost. On Wednesday (9:00 PM/Eurosport, ARD and in the live ticker at ntv.de) the rematch with the NBA giants will take place, the next chapter in the South Sudanese fairy tale.
Things are looking good for the next few years
The astonishing successes are closely linked to Luol Deng, who was active in the NBA himself from 2004 to 2019, among others for ten years for the Chicago Bulls. The 39-year-old is co-trainer of Ivey - and president of the South Sudan Basketball Federation SBFF. He has been promoting the sport for years with his foundation, also through the development of basketball infrastructure. Currently, Deng is campaigning for the construction of the first covered hall in the capital Juba.
"We have enough players to be the best in Africa," Deng claimed in an interview with the TV station SSGTV, looking at the potential of his home country. The average age of all basketball players in South Sudan is only slightly over 16 years, there are numerous big talents - also in the literal sense.
** "When we play, the whole country stands still"**
Even the NBA legend Manute Bol (2.31 meters) came from the area of South Sudan. His son Bol Bol (2.21 meters) has also made it to the NBA and is a crowd favorite with the Phoenix Suns. As a performance carrier, he was initially included in the SBFF squad, but had to postpone his Olympic dream due to "personal reasons."
Deng, on the other hand, fulfilled this dream as early as 2012 - with Great Britain, as there was no national team in South Sudan at the time. As a child, he fled his homeland, made it to the NBA via detours. All active national players also had to flee and now play abroad. This should change, because the enthusiasm at home is ubiquitous: "When we play, the whole country stands still," said Deng.
The South Sudanese basketball team plans to build their first covered court in the capital Juba, spearheaded by Luol Deng and his foundation. Next, they face a rematch against title favorite USA in the Olympics, which are being held in Paris.
