NBA legend Luol Deng: How sports could restore hope and unite fragmented South Sudanese society
South Sudan NBA team under Luol Deng leadership
By Chol Duang Chan, Juba, South Sudan
Monday, 25 November 2024 (PW) — South Sudan’s participation in the Paris Summer Olympics sparked a wave of enthusiasm among the country’s people, especially those living in rural areas who depend on more traditional forms of communication for their news. The South Sudanese national basketball team, the Bright Stars, helped propel the nation to international prominence in the years leading up to the 2024 Paris Olympics. The team’s success began well before the FIBA World Cup, which took place in the Philippines in late 2023.
Their first international games in AFRO BASKETBALL sought not only to win and generate headlines but also to unite a fractured community. The younger generation of South Sudanese, haunted by memories of past oppression, does not place a strong emphasis on tribal or ethnic affiliations. Instead, commonalities such as creativity, invention, music, and sports bind them together. South Sudan’s national song and flag, intermarriages, and social activities among different communities also unite the country’s citizens.
Basketball has recently dominated community forums, with traditional elders encouraging young people to seek out local options for basketball instruction. After seeing the national team compete on a global stage, many in rural areas felt compelled to push their children, who had previously excelled in wrestling and other more traditional sports, to try their hand at basketball, where they naturally have an edge due to their height. This mobilization would support the efforts of NBA legend Luol Deng, the incumbent President of South Sudan’s basketball federation.
National basketball was also struggling before retired NBA legend Luol Deng took over as president in 2019. Initially, Luol used personal funds to cobble together a formidable national team by contacting players playing overseas and persuading them to play for their home country, South Sudan. Many players, including Kuany Kuany, Nuni Omot, Marial Shayok, and others, responded and had to cancel their overseas contracts to play for South Sudan.
Since independence, South Sudan’s official sports institutions have suffered from maladministration, neglect, ineptitude, and a lack of necessary funding. However, this is not the case across sports agencies, as some attract generosity from well-wishers. In South Sudan, football is a sport that is particularly popular among young people; however, it has not received the requisite support to flourish. As a result, the national teams have underperformed in both domestic and international matches.
Since his appointment to the sports ministry, Dr. Joseph Geng Akech, a constitutional scholar by profession, has endeavored to professionalize and commercialize sports fraternities both at national and local levels. He has introduced relevant legislations aimed at streamlining the popular sports in the country.
Funding remains a big challenge in promoting and building sports facilities, as well as talent identification at the grassroots. One of his signature policies is the proposed sports stadia across the ten states and the administrative areas. While briefing parliamentarians earlier this year on his ministry’s planned activities, the minister of Youth and Sports, Dr. Akech, announced the government’s plan to construct the state-of-the-art multipurpose sports arenas in Wau, Malakal, Yambio, and elsewhere. If fulfilled, it would spur sports development in South Sudan.
Despite the bleak circumstances, the people of South Sudan have consistently endeavored to establish stability by enduring the civil conflict. Aside from basketball, which has boosted the country’s image, South Sudan is brimming with talent, from models who have topped worldwide pages to rising boxing prospects.
The author, Chol Duang Chan, is a South Sudanese journalist and communication professional. He has contributed to various online news sites, writing about politics, talent, governance, and entertainment and be reached via his email: chol Abuk <cholabuk211@gmail.com>
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