On the 20th of July 2024, South Sudan nearly pulled off one of the greatest basketball upsets of all time. Taking the US national team to the very last second in an extremely close game, South Sudan needed just one more shot to win the game and seal an historic win for their country. They missed their shot, however, and saved the US from what would have been its worst loss in 50 years. But how did the youngest nation in the world which doesn’t even have any indoor courts almost beat a basketball powerhouse such as the US? Well, that story starts long before they ever took the court for the opening tip-off and is one filled with conflict and drastic change. In this article, I explore the history and journey of a small, resilient nation and its quest for basketball Olympic glory.
A Brief History of South Sudan
Before talking about their impressive basketball achievements and the formation of their basketball federation we must first talk a bit about South Sudan’s history.
South Sudan is located in Northeast Africa and borders many countries including Sudan, Uganda, and Ethiopia. It is home to rich culture and biodiversity including savannas and rainforests. Before 2011, South Sudan was part of Sudan as a unified nation, but it gained independence after a lot of conflict.
South Sudan’s road to becoming an independent nation was long and arduous and filled with conflict. Originally part of Sudan, the area known as South Sudan has been a heavily disputed region for many years resulting in two civil wars and many lives lost. Fuelled by deep-rooted ethnic, religious, and cultural differences between the predominantly Muslim north and the largely Christian south, the country was plagued by civil war from 1955-1972 and from 1983-2005.
The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005 signalled the end of the second civil war, granting autonomy to South Sudan and ultimately paving the way for a referendum in 2011 in which the People of South Sudan overwhelmingly voted for their independence and separation from Sudan, thus giving birth to the youngest nation in the world and the 193rd member state to join the United Nations. It also joined the African Union as its 54th member state.
July 9, 2011, marked the start of their journey as an independent country and also set them down the path of Olympic glory.
Building a Basketball Legacy
Post civil war and gaining independence, South Sudan faced many enormous challenges such as political instability and economic hardships. Sports was the last thing on the mind of a newly formed country trying to get its feet set and work through its challenges. Sports did, however, start to become more present on the minds of the people and the South Sudan Basketball Federation was established in May 2011 to help promote the sport of basketball in the new nation. The team, nicknamed the Bright Stars, played their first official international match on 12th March 2017 against Egypt in the AfroBasket qualifiers.
Despite very few resources, basketball was an extremely popular sport in the country and was able to flourish thanks to the South Sudanese diaspora.
Rising to prominence: South Sudan’s Basketball Evolution
South Sudan shocked the African continent during their African qualifiers for the FIBA World Cup by topping both the first and second rounds to clinch a spot in their first ever World Cup. They would shock the continent again when they beat Angola 107-78 to clinch a spot in their first ever Olympic basketball games and claim the sole FIBA Africa direct qualification spot. But how did the youngest nation in the world (barely a decade old at the time of clinching their first World Cup) manage to beat established African nations and compete well at the World Cup against seasoned basketball talent despite having a short history and limited resources? The answer comes in their talent across the diaspora, physical attributes, and commitment and passion for the sport.
Diaspora influence:
The South Sudanese diaspora played a critical role in the development and advancement of basketball culture in the country and is what enabled the push for such a young nation to challenge the United States and qualify for the Olympics.
With former NBA All-Star Luol Deng becoming the president of the federation in 2020 and Royal Ivey, assistant coach of the Brooklyn Nets, becoming the head coach in 2021, South Sudan was able to qualify for, and play in prestigious international competitions despite their team only recently being formed.
Deng, who spent 15 years in the NBA (mainly with the Chicago Bulls) and is one of the most successful African players to ever play in the league, is extremely passionate about South Sudanese basketball and set up the Deng Academy to help cultivate the basketball talent of the country.
True to his word and his vision, Deng funded the team using his own money for many years and is dedicated to seeing South Sudan succeed against the best basketball teams in the world.
“I saw the potential of the country. I knew that we can be good,” Deng said to BBC sport. “I wanted to implement everything that I’ve learned throughout my career and my journey into a team, a nation and a federation.”
Physical attributes
South Sudanese players are often highlighted for their height and natural athleticism which gives them a competitive edge when playing basketball. With specialised training and the experience of Deng and his staff, these players have been able to maximise their physical gifts and traits and are able to enact the tactics and strategies of their coaches to compete at the highest level.
“South Sudan is unique,” Deng explained in an interview with the BBC. “You have many South Sudanese that are very lanky, tall, very athletic. Genetically, basketball is a sport that goes well with us.”
With a legacy of South Sudan players making the NBA and making a name for themselves, such as Manute Bol, and the strong sense of national pride and love for basketball, Luol Deng has been able to recruit some of the best talent across the diaspora and convince them to play for South Sudan. This has maximised the talents and experiences that these players have cultivated abroad in some of the best basketball nations in the world and applied it to the South Sudan national team.
Commitment for the sport
From the head of the organisation to the head coach to the 12th man on the squad there is a strong sense of pride to be representing their young nation and the commitment to the program is immense.
“We earned it,” said Royal Ivey, the Bright Stars head coach, at a press conference during the FIBA World Cup classification round. “We competed from zone five [in the Afrobasket qualifiers] to now, my guys are resilient, they know how to work, they push forward, they fought day-in, day-out, and we got here because of the hard work and the sweat that we put in every day. Now we’re reaping the rewards, so it’s not over.”
Luol Deng echoed similar sentiments stating “We’re a bunch of guys who just care about the win because of what it brings to the nation. It’s not about basketball, it’s about South Sudan”. The lengthy civil wars and fight for independence is a motivator for many of the players as most of them were born while their country was going through this struggle. The passion for the game and dedication to one another is a galvanising force for the country, and good results work to lift the spirits of the entire nation and the diaspora as a whole as it continues to define itself as a new and emerging African nation.
Olympic Glory
At the 2024 Summer Olympic games in Paris, South Sudan, coming off their near historic victory against the USA, were extremely prepared for the challenge ahead of them. Playing in their first Olympics, the Bright Stars stunned Puerto Rico in their opening game to gain their first ever Olympic victory, winning 90-79. While not able to replicate the close and exciting pre-Olympic match, South Sudan put up an admirable fight against the US in their second group game but the addition of Kevin Durant (who didn’t play in their first match) proved too much for them.
Conclusion
South Sudan is the youngest nation in the world and is a country without indoor courts or adequate resources. Despite this, they have massively overachieved and have represented themselves extremely well at every game and tournament they have attended and are growing at a tremendous rate.
Already a country that is producing NBA-level talent and competing at the highest level, South Sudan will continue to evolve and get better as a basketball nation. Qualifying for their first World Cup and Olympics back-to-back not long after their formation is an incredible feat and, with increased investment and development, South Sudan has the potential to become a basketball powerhouse that competes for the biggest prizes in world basketball year after year. Despite only joining FIBA in 2013, South Sudan is currently ranked 33rd in the world (as of July 2024) and is still at the beginning of their journey. There will surely be more to see of them!