This is one of the better stories to come along in basketball in a while.
Most of the world was shocked by how South Sudan nearly upset Team USA in London on Saturday, but probably not former Blue Devil Luol Deng.
Like so many Sudanese, Deng and his family were forced to flee the country during the protracted war. He grew up in London and came to the US to play high school basketball. He played at Duke for a single season before moving on the NBA where he had a long and successful career.
Since retiring, he’s built a real estate empire and also started building the South Sudan program. For him, as you might imagine, it’s a chance to help bring something positive in a country that’s been shattered by war. South Sudan doesn’t have a single indoor gym, which obviously makes it much more difficult to train. He’s also had a secondary problem: his roster is full of refugees, some of whom started to play internationally for their adopted countries before South Sudan came into existence.
That’s not the case for Duke freshman Khaman Maluach.
Deng first met Maluach when Maluach was 13 and a refugee in Uganda, but didn’t notice him initially. However, Maluach turned out to be a sponge and a quick learner. Look what Deng says about him: ”I never paid attention, because a lot of kids are similar... He couldn’t even dribble the ball, so we put him on the side with some of the coaches, just learning how to dribble and stuff like that, but it just shows how kids can develop.
“You never know - a kid could be on the side and not doing much, but he could have a huge IQ and pick up things very quickly - and that was Khaman.
“Where he is at [just over] four years [after playing for the first time] is just unheard of. It’s crazy - where he’s at right now. He’s growing so fast; I use that as an example for kids all the time.”
And here he is on Khaman picking Duke: “It was his decision [to go to Duke]. I just shared with him my experience at Duke. I shared with him what it’s like - the brotherhood - but I told him it’s not an easy place to go, but at the same time, when you go to Duke, there’s a level of respect. There’s a level of urgency in terms of having to win.”
Realistically at this point, Maluach is probably not going to start. He’s still 17 and he’s not physically mature. But he’s going to mature and from what Deng says here, he has unusual focus and desire. He’s going to maximize his talent.
And taking the long view, he could be one of the few guys who has a chance to guard Victor Wembanyama. His NBA value could skyrocket.
Watching him at Duke, especially alongside Cooper Flagg, is going to be a real pleasure.
One last thing about Deng. His work with the Bright Stars is a labor of love but he’s also shown a brilliance for building. If you’re an NBA team watching what he’s accomplished, you have to wonder what he could do for your franchise.
