Name: Luol Deng
Event: Basketball
Date of Birth: 16th April 1985, Age 27
Career Highlight: Being the first British basketball player to be named as an all-star.
Did you know?: Deng is an Arsenal supporter
In London 2012 the GB basketball team are unlikely to make a strong push for medals but will hope to progress from the weaker of two initial groups. Only the international powerhouse of Spain are certain to progress from the group but a depleted GB team, missing NBA and Charlotte Bobcat stars Ben Gordon and Byron Mullens will have to play the tournament of their lives to get results. The only NBA player and without doubt their star is Luol Deng, an athlete whose journey to the Olympics was a constant struggle in his early life.
Born in Wau, Sudan a country with a tumultuous history. When a second civil war broke out in 1983, his father a member of the Sudanese parliament moved the family first to Egypt, and then London to escape the war. Basketball was his outlet, he excelled at junior levels at Brixton Basketball club, before moving to Blair Academy in New Jersey to follow his NBA dreams. He went on to play for one of the top college basketball teams, the Duke Blue Devils, where again he shone. He was chosen with the 7th pick in the 2004 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns but traded to the Chicago Bulls. Since then he has developed into a complete player; a defensive monster, an efficient scorer and led the league in minutes per game last season.
Though unlikely to win a medal Deng’s desire to play in the Olympics is unmatched. After suffering a wrist injury during the 2011-12 regular season, he decided to postpone correctional surgery until after the Olympics. An unpopular move with Bulls management, as it will see him miss at least two months of next year’s regular season. Deng was undeterred and he will lineup on the 29th July ready to fulfil a dream. Though only wearing red, white and blue, he is playing not only for GB but for Sudan. He has visited the country many times since the war ended and the country was separated, and he has done tireless philanthropic work in his country.
In an age when drug cheats soil the most majestic tradition of representing your nation in the oldest and noblest of competitions, Luol Deng should be an inspiration; a man who has sacrificed to fulfil a dream and show his gratitude to the country who provided refuge to his family. This summer Deng will prove that sometimes the Olympics isn’t about winning, it’s about inspiring.
Basketball in the UK is about to explode, the NBA have been playing preseason games in London for a number of years, and next season will play a regular season game there too. There are also progressing discussions about bringing an NBA team to Europe, with London seen as the prime location. The Olympics will be an ideal opportunity to show the passion for basketball in the country. So what can we expect from the tournament? Without a doubt the favourites as always will be the USA; despite being injury depleted they still have the reigning MVP Lebron James, three time scoring champ Kevin Durant and global superstar Kobe Bryant. Beyond them expect Spain, France and Russia to be strong and challenge. GB will see a quarterfinal place as a huge achievement.