Luol Ajou Deng (born 16 April 1985) is a South Sudanese-British former professional basketball player.
2003
Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Deng was listed as the No. 1 small forward and the No. 2 player in the nation in 2003.
Deng accepted an athletic scholarship to attend Duke University, where he played for coach Mike Krzyzewski's Duke Blue Devils basketball team in 2003–04.
In one season at Duke, he appeared in 37 games and made 32 starts.
2004
After playing college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils, Deng was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2004 NBA draft with the seventh overall pick.
He averaged 30.1 minutes and scored 15.1 points per game en route to a berth in the 2004 Final Four.
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 and helped 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 8 February, Deng recorded his first double-double vs. the Dallas Mavericks.
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.
2005
He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team as a 19-year-old in 2005.
2006
He became a British citizen in 2006, and has played for the Great Britain national team.
2010
He was the 10th freshman in ACC history to lead all freshmen in scoring, rebounding, and field goal percentage.
2012
He was a two-time NBA All-Star and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2012.
Born in what is now South Sudan, Deng fled the country with his family as a child, eventually settling in the United Kingdom.
The small forward was an All-Star with the Bulls in 2012 and 2013 before splitting the 2013–14 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
2014
After just half a season with Cleveland, Deng joined the Miami Heat for 2014–15.
2016
He played two seasons for the Heat before signing with the Lakers in 2016.
He spent his last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
2019
Deng has been the president of the South Sudan Basketball Federation since 2019.
He is an assistant coach for the South Sudan men's national team and has previously served as its head coach.
Deng was born in Wau, Sudan (now in South 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 and also mentored Luol.
When they were granted political asylum, his family immigrated to Brixton, South London.
Deng was educated at St. Mary's RC High School, a voluntary aided state comprehensive school in Croydon in South London.
He developed an interest in 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.
At age 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 age 14, Luol moved to the United States to play basketball at Blair Academy in New Jersey.
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 and was named First Team All-America by Parade and USA Today.
He was selected to play in the McDonald's High School All-America game, but could not play due to a foot injury.
