Luol Deng is a British professional basketball player who currently plays for the Miami Heat
of the National Basketball Association. He has also competed with the Great Britain national
basketball team. A member of the Chicago Bulls from 2004 until 2014, Deng was selected for
his first NBA All-Star game during the 2011–12 season, joining teammate Derrick Rose. Born
in what is now South Sudan, Deng fled the country with his family as a child, moving
to Egypt and then the United Kingdom, becoming a British citizen in 2006.
Early life and education Deng was born in Wau, Sudan and is a member
of the Dinka ethnic group. When he was young, his father Aldo, a member of the Sudanese
parliament, moved the family to Egypt to escape the Second Sudanese Civil War. In Egypt, they
met former NBA center Manute Bol, another Dinka, who taught Deng's older brother, Ajou
Deng, how to play basketball while also serving as a mentor for Luol himself. When they were
granted political asylum, his family emigrated to Brixton, South London.
Deng was educated at St. Mary's Roman Catholic High School, a voluntary aided state comprehensive
school in Croydon in South London. He developed an interest in association football, admiring
Faustino Asprilla of Newcastle United, but also continued to play basketball, and was
invited to join England's 15-and-under team in that sport. During this time, he began
his career at Brixton Basketball Club. He represented Croydon at the London Youth Games,
and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2009. At the age of 13, he played for England's
squad in the European Junior Men's Qualifying Tournament, averaging 40 points and 14 rebounds.
He was named the MVP of the tournament. Next, he led England to the finals of the European
Junior National Tournament, where he averaged 34 points and earned another MVP award.
At the age of 14, Luol moved to the United States to play basketball at Blair Academy
in New Jersey, where one of his teammates was future NBA player Charlie Villanueva.
Deng was also named a Tri-Captain at Blair along with Villanueva. During his senior year,
Deng was considered the second most promising high school senior in America after LeBron
James. He was named First Team All-America by Parade Magazine and USA Today, and was
selected to play in the McDonald's High School All-America game, but could not play due to
a foot injury. After graduation, he decided to attend Duke University. In one season at
Duke, he appeared in 37 games and made 32 starts. He averaged 30.1 minutes and scored
15.1 points per game en route to a berth in the 2004 Final Four. He is only the 10th freshman
in ACC history to lead all rookies in scoring, rebounding, and field goal percentage.
Professional career Chicago Bulls
2004–05 season After one year at Duke, Deng entered the 2004
NBA Draft. He was picked seventh overall by the Phoenix Suns, but was immediately traded
to the Chicago Bulls by prior agreement. Deng suffered a season-ending wrist injury late
in his rookie season, but still made the NBA All-Rookie First Team to help the resurgent
Bulls return to the playoffs for the first time in seven years. Deng played in 61 games
and averaged 11.7 points per game. On February 8, Deng recorded his first double-double vs.
the Dallas Mavericks. 2005–06 season
In his second season, he posted strong performances throughout March and April to help the Bulls
earn their second consecutive playoff berth. His offensive statistics improved in his sophomore
season, increasing his scoring to 14.3 points per game, and increasing his rebounding to
6.6 per game, up from a 5.3 average his rookie season. Deng had four straight double-double
performances from February 28 to March 5, with at least ten points and rebounds in each
game. In the playoffs, the Bulls faced off against the Miami Heat in a best of 7 game
series. Deng came off the bench in all six games, averaging ten points per game.
2006–07 season For the 2006–07 season, Deng was the only
Bull to start all 82 regular season games. All of his numbers continued to improve, and
he led the team in minutes played and field goal percentage, while playing a strong second
scoring option to Ben Gordon, with a marked improvement to 18.8 points per game. Deng
also notably rarely committed fouls on defense, despite the minutes he played and frequently
being outsized in match ups against power forwards such as Kevin Garnett.
On December 27, 2006, Deng was driving in the lane when Miami Heat player James Posey
grabbed him, causing concern that Deng may have re-injured his wrist. Posey earned a
flagrant foul, was ejected and suspended for one game. Deng scored 32 points against the
Cavaliers just three nights later, resolving concern that the wrist would be re-injured.
On March 26, 2007 Deng posted a new career-high 38 points to lead the Bulls to a home victory
against the Portland Trail Blazers. Deng converted 18 of his 25 shots from the field.
Deng has won three major sportsmanship awards. On May 3, 2007, Deng won the NBA's sportsmanship
award in a vote by players. The award honors the player who best exemplifies ethical behavior,
fair play, and integrity on the court. For that award, the league donated $25,000 on
his behalf to Pacific Garden Mission, the oldest continuously operating rescue mission
in the country. Deng also won the 2006–2007 Golden Icon Award for Best Sports Role Model.
The awards are presented by the Travolta entertainment family. Most recently, he won the 2008 UN
Refugee Agency's Humanitarian of the Year Award as part of the UNHCR's ninemillion.org
campaign to bring education and sports to millions of displaced children.
2007–08 season Near the beginning of the season, the Bulls
started negotiating a contract extension for Deng. Negotiations were mostly handled by
Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. The team offered Deng a five-year extension for $57.5 million.
However, Deng decided to reject the deal and wait until the season ended to continue negotiations.
In the 2007–08 season, Luol played in sixty-three games, missing 19 mostly because of left Achilles
tendinitis. Despite injuries, Deng still averaged 17.0 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per
game. He had his best game against the Milwaukee Bucks when he scored 32 points in a 151–135
victory. The Bulls missed the playoffs in the 2007–08 season for the first time since
2004. 2008–09 season
Before the season started, Deng agreed to a contract extension for six years and $71
million. The agreement was announced by Bulls general manager, John Paxson. Paxson said
in a statement "Signing Luol has always been a priority for this organization and we have
always felt that he was a big part of our future. We are very happy that Luol will now
be with us long term as we continue to grow as an organization."
Due to injury, Deng only played in 48 games. During the regular season Luol's scoring dropped
to 14.1 points per game and his rebounding dropped to 6.0 per game. The Bulls made the
playoffs, but Luol missed the entire playoffs due to injury.
2009–10 season Deng scored 27 points twice during the season,
his season-high. Deng played in a total of 70 games during the 2009–10 season, also
increasing his scoring and rebounding to 17.6 and 7.3 respectively, helping the Bulls make
the playoffs again. He missed 11 straight games at the end of March because of a sprained
right calf. During the first-round of the playoffs, Deng
averaged 18.8 points per game along with 5.0 rebounds per game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He scored 26 points in the final game, but couldn't prevent the Bulls being eliminated
by the Cavs. 2010–11 season
On November 1, 2010, Deng scored a new career-high 40 points, hitting 14 of his 19 shots, along
with 9 of 11 free throws, against the Portland Trail Blazers, scoring a point a minute. On
February 24, 2011, Deng scored 20 points, 10 rebounds, and hit the game winning 3-point
shot with 16 seconds left on the clock in a game against the Miami Heat. Throughout
the season, Deng significantly improved his 3-point shooting after coach Tom Thibodeau
asked him to. In the past four seasons, Deng attempted 132 3-point shots, whereas this
season he attempted 333, hitting 115 for a 34%.
Deng finished the season averaging 17.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, being the third
lead scorer for the Chicago Bulls behind Derrick Rose and Carlos Boozer. This was also Deng's
seventh season averaging double figures. During the first round of the playoffs against the
Indiana Pacers, Deng averaged 18.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, being the second
leading scorer of the team behind Derrick Rose.
On March 31, 2011, Eric Bressman of Dime magazine called Deng "the most underrated player" writing
he was "never the face of the franchise but always the backbone". Coach Thibodeau has
consistently called Deng the "glue" that holds the Bulls together. "Luol's professional.
He practices hard. He prepares well. He studies his opponent. He's great at executing offensively
and defensively. He's helped this team get better every day," said Thibodeau.
Deng was the Bulls' second leading scorer during the playoffs. In the first game of
the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat, Deng was praised for his defense
on LeBron James. However, the Miami Heat went on to eliminate the Bulls in five games. Deng
averaged just under 43 minutes, 16.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game during
the playoffs. 2011–12 season: All-Star season
Deng injured his wrist during the fourth quarter against the Charlotte Bobcats on January 21,
2012. Initially thought to be a minor injury, it was later revealed by an MRI that Deng
tore the ligament in his left wrist. Deng decided to postpone surgery and play the rest
of the season through the pain. He returned to the starting lineup against the Milwaukee
Bucks on February 4, 2012, scoring 21 points with 9 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block.
On February 9, 2012, Deng was selected as a reserve for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game's
Eastern Conference team, joining teammate Derrick Rose, who was voted in as a starter.
This was the first time since 1997 that the Chicago Bulls had two All-Stars in the All-Star
Game. Deng made a buzzer-beating game winner on
March 24, 2012, off a tip-in basket to lift the Bulls 102–101 in overtime versus the
Toronto Raptors. At the end of the season, Deng was selected for the NBA All-Defensive
Second Team 2012–13 season: Second All-Star season
Deng was selected as a reserve for the 2013 NBA All-Star Game, along with Joakim Noah.
During the 2012–13 season, he averaged a team high 16.5 points per game, 6.3 rebounds
per game, and a career high 3 assists per game. His free throw percentage of .816 was
also a career high. He again led the league in minutes per game with. Even without Derrick
Rose, who was out for the whole year due to an ACL injury, the Bulls still tallied a 45–37
record, finishing 5th in the Eastern Conference and 2nd in the Central Division.
The Chicago Bulls met the Brooklyn Nets in the opening round of the 2013 Playoffs. The
Bulls defeated the Nets in seven games and met the Miami Heat in the semifinals. The
Heat defeated the Bulls in five games. The Heat went on to win the 2013 NBA Finals. During
the 2013 Playoffs, Deng averaged 13.8 points per game, 7.6 rebounds per game, and 3.8 assists
per game in 44.8 minutes per game. 2013–14 season
Deng's representatives and Chicago Bulls executives had informal talks about extending his contract
over the summer, but the team never made a formal offer. Deng, who would become a free
agent after the 2013–14 season, was seeking a contract close to $12 million a year over
4–5 seasons. Rumors about him being traded continued throughout the season.
During the first months of the season, Deng again emerged as the Bulls leading scorer
with the absence of Derrick Rose. He had his best performances on November 27 and 30, when
he scored 27 points against the Detroit Pistons and the Cleveland Cavaliers in two separate
games. He also registered 6 rebounds against the Pistons, and 11 assists against the Cavs.
During the first two months of the season, Deng averaged a career-high of 19 points and
3.7 assists per game. He also averaged 6.9 rebounds per game.
Cleveland Cavaliers On January 7, 2014, the Chicago Bulls traded
Deng to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Andrew Bynum, two future second round draft picks
in 2015 and 2016, a protected future pick the Cavaliers received from the Sacramento
Kings, and the right to swap first round picks with the Cavaliers in the 2015 draft. At the
time of the trade, Deng was the fifth-longest tenured Bull and fourth-leading scorer in
franchise history. In his Cavaliers debut, he had 10 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal, and
4 turnovers in 21 minutes. Miami Heat
On July 15, 2014, Deng signed with the Miami Heat.
Citizenship and international career Since his birth in Sudan, Deng has lived in
Egypt, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Deng represented England at Under-16
and Under-19 level, and was an ambassador for the London 2012 Olympic Games. In October
2006, Deng became a naturalised British citizen in a ceremony in Croydon and was called up
to play in European competition for the Great Britain team. He made his debut against Georgia
in Pau, France on August 9, 2007, scoring 19 points. In his first competitive qualifying
game representing Great Britain, Deng collected 21 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals
and 2 blocks against Slovakia, at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena on August 21, 2007.
He played with the team at the 2012 Summer Olympics, where he averaged 15.8 points, 6.6
rebounds and 4.6 assists. However, Great Britain finished with a 1–4 record.
Off the court Deng is involved in numerous charities, such
as the UK children's charity School Home Support. He has been noted for his work on behalf of
the Lost Boys of Sudan and other refugees. During the summers of 2006 and 2007, Luol
went to Africa, Asia and Europe with the NBA for their Basketball Without Borders Tour.
He is also a spokesperson for the World Food Programme. "He really does epitomize everything
I had hoped for as a person and a basketball player," general manager John Paxson said.
"I think it's one of the reasons we've gotten to the level we're at this year. I'm truly
proud of him. I think the world of him as a person and as a player."
In 2009, he was one of the first batch of inductees into the London Youth Games Hall
of Fame, having represented the borough of Croydon as a youngster.
He counts himself a fan of English Premier League side Arsenal F.C.
Deng is the cover athlete for NBA Live video games in the UK.
Following the 2009–10 season, Deng made a highly publicized first return to his native
Sudan. NBA career statistics
Regular season Playoffs
Other achievements London Youth Games
Hall of Fame member
See also
List of National Basketball Association season minutes leaders
References
External links Career statistics and player information from
NBA.com, or Basketball-Reference.com Duke profile
Great Britain Basketball Profile Deng: A real-life globetrotter making it in
the NBA Deng gunning for bullish future