Luol Deng: Former NBA All-Star on the rise of South Sudan’s basketball team

CNN — It was a dream debut on the Olympic basketball stage for the world’s youngest country. South Sudan’s men’s basketball team defeated Puerto Rico 90-79 in Paris on Sunday in its first ever appearance at the Games, but the result meant more than just picking up two points in Group C. For South Sudan Basketball Federation President Luol Deng, it was the culmination of everything that he and the team had worked so hard to achieve. “When the national anthem was sung, you know, it just gave me goosebumps, and I realized that this was bigger than basketball,” Deng told CNN Sport’s Amanda Davies. ‘We play to win’ No one can ever question Deng’s commitment to the project – according to South Sudan head coach Royal Ivey, Deng has been funding the team out of his own pocket for four years. When people watch us play, they understand that, you know, we’re well coached and we have great players.” Next up for South Sudan in Paris is the tallest of tasks – a rematch against a Team USA that features the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry.