Pursue your dreams, Deng tells Ugandan youngsters
Loul Deng (R) is welcomed to Entebbe Airport by Kita ‘Thierry’ Matungulu, the NBA Africa representative, on Friday evening. photo BY Ismail Kezaala
What you need to know:
Basketball. Basketball star, Loul Deng, here to officiate at the NBA Fuba Junior Championship final, says young players must keep focussed in order to excel.
Entebbe. Two-time NBA All-Star and Miami Heat forward Luol Deng has called on Ugandan junior basketball players to keep focused as they pursue their dreams.
Deng was speaking after his arrival at Entebbe Airport on Friday afternoon, where he was received by a host of journalists and Fuba officials, ahead of yesterday’s inaugural NBA Fuba Junior Championship finals between Mashariki Pelicans and Kampala International School of Uganda (Kisu) Bucks at Lugogo MTN Arena.
“Young children should be free to chase their dreams and utilize their opportunities. It is a big dream for me to play in the NBA, captain Team Africa and I have made a lot of friends in basketball,” the British basketballer of South Sudan origin, who was excited to come to Uganda for the first time, said. “And it doesn’t have to be about the NBA. If one doesn’t make it there, there are lots of other competitive leagues in the world where one can make it as a professional basketballer,” Deng added.
Nearly two hours after Deng had left Entebbe for Kampala, NBA Vice President and Managing Director - Africa, Fall Gallo Amadou, re-echoed the message from exactly the same seat and conference room in the airport’s VIP lounge.
“There is more to the junior league than just making it to the NBA. There is a lot of potential in Africa and we are just happy that the programme has sucessfully rolled out for now,” Amadou said. “We shall see how it has performed and there is hope that we can always roll out programmes for girls and other boys age groups, or even exchange programmes for players in the future,” he added. The current programme that has been running since May caters for youth aged 12 to 15.
Deng, who operates mainly as a small forward, fled his native Sudan with his family as a child. He moved to Egypt and later the United Kingdom. He acquired British citizenship in 2006.
The 30-year-old started his NBA career with the Chicago Bulls in 2004 and played for them until 2013. He joined Miami Heat in July 2014 after spending half a season at Cleveland Cavaliers.
mmuziransa@@ug.nationmedia.com
