Luol Deng

Who is Luol Deng?

Luol Deng is a former professional basketball player. Luol Deng spent 16 seasons playing for NBA clubs like the Chicago Bulls. The forward has played for the United Kingdom national team in addition to being a two-time NBA All-Star.

The athlete was dubbed “The most underestimated player” by Dime magazine for his on-court performance, adding that he was “never the face of the franchise but always the backbone.”

Childhood & Family

Luol Deng was born on April 16, 1985, in Wau, South Sudan.

Deng’s mother worked as a homemaker, and his father served as a minister for South Sudan.

Ajou, Deng, Alchie, Alcon, Ayak, Abuk, Arek, and Chier are Deng’s eight siblings.

During the course of his five-year career, his brother Ajou Deng also played for the NBA.

They both participated in Great Britain’s national squad. In 2010, Ajou served as the squad’s head coach for the South Sudanese national basketball team.

Net Worth & Income

As of 2022, Luol Deng is claimed to be enjoying his $5 million retained income and $200 million net wealth.

As a result, he began investing in a variety of assets as soon as he joined the NBA in 2004, including hotels, resorts, condos, and apartment buildings, which have a combined value of $125 million.

Facts of Luol Deng

A Memorable Journey

Aldo Dong, Luol’s father, was a minister in the Sudanese parliament who served as acting governor when the Second Sudanese Civil War began in 1988.

Sadly, it made it difficult for them to remain there. Luol had to go to Alexandria, Egypt, with his mother, Martha, when he was just three years old, along with his brothers.

They fought hard to keep one another going despite only having three cramped quarters to share.

Deng’s father, on the other hand, remained in Khartoum and was ultimately detained by the military coup led by Omar al-Bashir. Aldo was imprisoned as a result of the coups until 1993.

Luol met NBA star Manute Bol while they were visiting Alexandria.

“It was the first time Luol had the opportunity to pick up basic basketball skills and lay the groundwork for a career in the NBA. For the time being, Bol served as Luol’s guide and father figure.

He remembered that occasionally when his brother would allow him to participate, he would play on a dirty outside court.

Deng and Bol developed a strong bond over time thanks to their shared Dinka ethnicity.

Africa to London

He and his family were granted a house in South Norwood, South London, for the purpose of taking the following step, which involved the family requesting political asylum after his father was freed.

There, according to Luol, was a distinct universe with everything beautifully modernized.

Despite having little to no English language skills, he managed to get through the challenging first few years in England.

Although he continued to play basketball for his school team because he was a huge Arsenal supporter, it is astonishing to learn that at first he was drawn to football.

Basketball High School Career

Deng attended St. Mary’s RC High School in Croydon, South London, where he first developed a passion for football.

Luol joined the basketball in England’s 15-and-under team despite having played basketball in the past.

He started his career with Brixton Basketball Club and participated in the London Youth Games while representing Croydon.

He played for the England team in the European Junior Men’s Qualifiers when he was just 13 years old, helping them reach the finals and winning another MVP award.

He relocated to New Jersey in the US a year later in order to enroll at Blair Academy.

He was regarded as America’s most promising high school senior, coming in second to LeBron James.

Career in College

He accepted Duke University’s offer of an athletic scholarship and joined the Duke Blue Devils’ collegiate basketball team.

In the 2004 Final Four, Deng averaged 30.1 minutes per game and scored 15.1 points per game.

He also led all ACC teams in scoring, rebounds, and field goal % as the 10th freshman in the league’s history.

Professional Career

Despite being selected by the Phoenix Suns as the seventh overall pick, Luol was dealt to the Chicago Bulls shortly after.

Deng played 61 games in the inaugural season, scoring 11.7 points on average.

He was commended for his defense of LeBron James throughout the season’s postseason in addition to being the second-leading scorer for the Bulls.

His per-game averages were 16.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.

He put off having surgery so that he could play the entire eighth season.

Along with fellow All-Star Derrick Rose, Deng was reserved for the Eastern Conference team for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game in February 2012.

Following a brief stint with the Miami Heat, he signed a $72 million contract to play the following two seasons for Los Angeles.

He was relegated to the bench as the team’s new coach decided to give the younger players on the team more playing time, which made the 2016–17 season less than enjoyable for him.

While he appeared in just one game with the Minnesota Timberwolves this season, scoring 12 points in 38 minutes, a team-high.

Career in National Team

To represent one’s nation in a match against another country is always the highest honor.

Luol was able to compete for England in the Under-16 and Under-19 Championship.

In the near future, he began serving as an ambassador for the London 2012 Summer Olympics while also averaging 15.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists for the squad.

Later, Deng participated in a private international test match for the UK against Georgia in the European Competition.

When James Posey, a Miami Heat player, grabbed Deng in 2006, he suffered a second-ending wrist injury that ended his rookie season and prevented him from helping the Chicago Bulls reach the playoffs.

As a result, Deng was suspended for one game.

Not almost a year had passed since he missed 11 games in the 2009–2010 season due to a sprained right calf and 19 games due to a left Achilles inflammation.

An MRI in January 2012 indicated that Deng tore the ligament in his left wrist against the Charlotte Bobcats in the fourth quarter, necessitating some time off from competition.

However, a left hamstring issue in December 2015 stood out and prevented him from playing in six games.

Following Playing Career

According to information released on November 24, 2020, Deng will serve as the head coach of South Sudan’s national basketball team for the FIBA Afro Basket 2021 Qualifiers.

For the first time, Deng successfully represented South Sudan in sports.

Including a comeback victory after being 20 points behind, the nation’s performance earned them one of the 14 qualifying slots.

Relationship Status

There is too much strain when a romantic relationship is kept a secret.

So, despite the fact that Luol Deng dated Kola Boof in 2006, very little is known about his dating life.

He is currently single, yet it is still unclear why they broke up.

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Age and Physical attributes

Luol Deng is 37 years old in 2022. Given that he weighs only 237 pounds, his athletic ability to play both defensively and offensively is pretty remarkable.

He is also nimble and moves at a breakneck pace.

Also, his height of 6 feet 9 inches is no joke. His height has always been one of his benefits because it helps the forward score goals.