South Sudan: World’s youngest country set to face US team at Olympics | CNN

CNN
—

The United States is the dominant force in men’s basketball at the Olympics, having won the gold medal 14 times and frequently bringing some of the sport’s biggest stars to the international stage.

So when a newcomer, fresh off a captivating performance at the 2023 FIBA ​​World Cup, pushed LeBron James and his teammates to the final buzzer of an Olympic warm-up game, the basketball world took notice.

South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, captured the hearts of World Cup spectators by finishing 17th out of 32 teams. While this may not seem impressive at first glance, the Bright Stars finished top of the group of teams that did not advance to the knockout stages and exited the competition with a positive 3-2 record.

As the highest-ranked African team, the result secured the team a place at the Olympic Games for the first time in their history.

Not bad for a country that has only officially existed for 13 years and has no indoor basketball facilities.

Among those making their national team debuts at the tournament was Wenyen Gabriel, who has played multiple NBA appearances for teams including the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans Pelicans.

Like many other players on the Olympic team, Gabriel is a refugee. He was forced to leave South Sudan as a child, fleeing the Second Sudanese Civil War. He and his family moved to Cairo two weeks after he was born before arriving in the United States as refugees two years later.

“At first, when I was a kid, we didn’t have a country, you know?” Gabriel told CNN Sport. “There was just Sudan and we didn’t have South Sudan.”

Gabriel explained that he wasn’t sure his country would ever have a basketball team, so when the opportunity presented itself, he took it.

“Knowing that, there is a group of kids, a group of young people, who come from South Sudan, who look up to us, who are inspired by what we are doing, who think that maybe they can do it. For me, to represent the country, to be part of the first group is just an honour,” he said.

After decades of civil war, South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 following a referendum, making it the world’s newest widely recognized state.

Shortly after, the country descended into a civil war that officially ended in 2018, although violence continues to this day. The country is classified as one of the world’s least developed countries by the United Nations.

Before it became an official state, and long before it burst onto the international scene, the country already had some NBA pedigree. Manute Bol, one of the tallest players in NBA history at 7 feet 11 inches, built a reputation as one of the league’s best shot-blockers between 1985 and 1995.

Luol Deng is a two-time All-Star born in what is now South Sudan. He came to London – via Egypt – as a refugee, before moving to the United States for his professional career. He is now the president of the South Sudan Basketball Federation.

Bol’s son Bol Bol, JT Thor and Duop Reath are examples of players currently in the league who are of South Sudanese origin, even though the country has never really been recognized as a force in international basketball. The sport has yet to really take off in the country, which some players, like Gabriel, attribute to a lack of resources.

“A lot of people play football when they’re maybe 6ft 2in because they can just go and kick a football around and there’s no pitch for miles,” the 27-year-old said.

“When I returned to South Sudan, in my village, I saw people who were 2.16 meters tall herding cows!”

The relatively small number of people interested in basketball in the country does not mean that there is no interest in the sport.

“When we came back from the World Cup, we went home, we had a parade and we saw people dancing in the rain, with white teeth, big smiles, like everyone was happy,” Gabriel said. “The joy that this brings to our country is inestimable.”

“The fact that we continue to move forward and keep our flag flying and give people something to be proud of is something that’s really rewarding for all of us. And I’m happy to be a part of that.”

The mood is jubilant among South Sudanese fans as they prepare to watch their country make history in Paris. After their warm-up match against the USA last Saturday in London, fans celebrated, danced and waved the flag inside the O2 Arena, on the streets and on public transport, despite their country’s crushing 101-100 defeat.

It’s all been about the journey for this nation.

South Sudan recently held its first press conference ahead of a friendly against Great Britain in London. The idea that the Olympic campaign is about more than just sport came up repeatedly.

Putting the nation on the Olympic map and paving the way for the younger generation is at the heart of the team.

“For all of us, this is a journey that goes beyond basketball,” Deng said at the news conference. “Sports can uplift and motivate a nation.”

“These guys know that what matters most is what they leave behind.”

“We go there to represent something bigger than ourselves and that is known every moment we are there,” Gabriel added.

South Sudan will go into the Games with the added responsibility of being the only African men’s basketball team to qualify, with Nigeria having qualified for the women’s competition. The continent has a rich history of producing NBA talent, including MVP winners Hakeem Olajuwon of Nigeria and Joel Embiid, who was born in Cameroon but plays for Team USA.

Players spoke of this added motivation, with Gabriel saying the support the team received from other African fans had “opened my eyes to a whole new world of basketball.”

“Even if other (African) teams don’t participate in the Olympics, maybe they still support us,” he said. “Representing this is even more of a show of continuity and it gives us a common goal.”

Deng also spoke about the need to erase harmful stereotypes and perceptions about the country and players. He said on Instagram that he was “disappointed” by the “ignorant remarks” made by former NBA All-Stars Paul Pierce and Gilbert Arenas about the team, calling Arenas’ comments “disrespectful and cruel.” Pierce and Arenas have since apologized.

“Those who are easily misled may make comments that reflect self-hatred more than pride.
“There is nothing in our history that we should run away from,” he wrote.

It is worth remembering that South Sudan has only been around for a little over a decade, while the basketball team only played its first competitive game in 2017. That they pushed the American team to its limits is a testament to how far the group has come.

Players and staff have credited the team’s rapid rise to Deng, who served in various roles – such as player liaison and assistant coach – before becoming federation president.

“Luol is the driving force behind all of this,” head coach Royal Ivey said at the press conference. “If it wasn’t for Luol Deng, we wouldn’t be sitting in front of all of you today.”

South Sudan is in Olympic Group C and will face the United States in a highly anticipated rematch. Serbia and Puerto Rico, each of which boasts NBA players and global talent, will be the Bright Stars’ other two opponents.

It will be a tough task for South Sudan to get out of the group stage, but the players are not setting limits on what can be achieved, nor are they rushing things, with Gabriel and Ivey stressing “compete” in every game.

Regardless, this team has already made history before they even step on the field and understands the importance of representation. For players like Gabriel, it’s a “dream” that many thought would never come true.

As he himself says: “Being able to compete with my country on my chest is the best thing I could have asked for.”