Luol Ajou Deng (born 16 April 1985) is a South Sudanese–British former professional basketball player. He was a two-time NBA All-Star and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2012. Born in South Sudan, then part of Sudan, Deng fled the country with his family as a child, eventually settling in the United Kingdom. He became a British citizen in 2006, and has played for the Great Britain national team.
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 was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team as a 19-year-old in 2005. The small forward was an All-Star with the Bulls in 2012 and 2013 before splitting the 2013–14 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. After just half a season with Cleveland, Deng joined the Miami Heat for 2014–15. He played two seasons for the Heat before signing with the Lakers in 2016. He spent his last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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 basketball team and has previously served as its head coach.
Early life Deng was born in Wau, Sudan (present-day 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 player 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 in 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 football, admiring Faustino Asprilla of Newcastle United F.C., but also continued to play basketball and was invited to join England's under-15 team. During this time, he began his career at the Brixton TopCats. At Brixton, Deng was coached by Jimmy Rogers, who convinced him to play basketball. He represented Croydon at the London Youth Games and was inducted into their Hall of Fame. At age 13, he played for the England under-18 team in the 1998 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship qualifying tournament, averaging 40 points and 14 rebounds, and was named the most valuable player (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, Deng 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 the United States 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.
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.
College career 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. He averaged 30.1 minutes and 15.1 points per game en route to a berth in the 2004 Final Four. He was the 10th freshman in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) history to lead all freshmen in scoring, rebounding, and field goal percentage.
Professional career
Chicago Bulls (2004–2014)
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 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 2005, Deng recorded his first double-double in a 107–100 win against the Dallas Mavericks.
2005–06 season In his second season, he posted strong performances throughout March and April 2006, 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 in his rookie season. Deng had four straight double-double performances from 28 February to 5 March, with at least 10 points and rebounds in each game. In the playoffs, the Bulls faced off against the Miami Heat in a seven-game series. Deng came off the bench in all six games, averaging 10 points per game.
2006–07 season For the 2006–07 season, Deng was the only Bulls player to start all 82 regular season games. His statistics continued to improve, and he led the team in minutes played (37.5) and field goal percentage (.517), 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 (2.00 per game), despite the minutes he played and frequently being outsized in matchups against power forwards such as Kevin Garnett.
On 27 December 2006, Deng was driving in the lane when Miami Heat's 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 Cleveland Cavaliers just three nights later, resolving concern that the wrist would be re-injured. On 26 March 2007, Deng posted a new career-high 38 points to lead the Bulls to a 100–89 victory against the Portland Trail Blazers. Deng converted 18 of his 25 shots from the field. On 3 May, Deng won the NBA Sportsmanship Award. For that award, the league donated $25,000 on his behalf to Pacific Garden Mission, the oldest continuously operating rescue mission in the country.
2007–08 season Near the beginning of the 2007–08 season, the Bulls started negotiating a contract extension with 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.At long last, Bulls announce signing of Deng to six-year deal on ESPN; Stein, Marc (31 July 2008)
In the 2007–08 season, Deng played in 63 games, missing 19 mostly because of left Achilles tendinitis.Nets beat bulls in first game since trading Kidd on Yahoo! Sports; Mahoney, Brian (20 February 2008) Despite injuries, he averaged 17.0 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game. He had his best game of the season against the Milwaukee Bucks when he scored 32 points in a 151–135 victory.Deng scores 32, Gordon (29) in Bulls 151–135 offensive explosion against Bucks on Yahoo! Sports; Fly, Colin (14 April 2008) The Bulls missed the playoffs in the 2007–08 season for the first time since 2004.
2008–09 season
Before the 2008–09 season started, Deng agreed to a contract extension for six years and $71 million. After the agreement was announced, Bulls general manager John 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 played in 48 games. During the regular season his scoring dropped to 14.1 points per game and his rebounding dropped to 6.0 per game. The Bulls made the playoffs, but Deng missed the 2009 playoffs due to injury.
2009–10 season 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 2010, because of a sprained right calf.Healthier Bulls gain ground, beat Wizards 125–45 on Yahoo! Sports; White, Joseph (2 April 2010)
During the first round of the 2010 playoffs, Deng averaged 18.8 points along with 5.0 rebounds per game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He scored 26 points in the final game of the series, but could not prevent the Bulls from being eliminated by the Cavaliers.LeBron, Cavs eliminate Bulls, face Celtics next on Yahoo! Sports; Withers, Tom (28 April 2010)
2010–11 season On 1 November 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.Deng's career-high 40 points lifts Bulls on Yahoo! Sports (2 November 2011) On 24 February 2011, he recorded 20 points, 10 rebounds, and hit the game winning three-point shot with 16 seconds left in a game against the Miami Heat.Rose, Deng lead Bulls over Heat 93–89 on Yahoo! Sports; Seligman, Andrew (25 February 2011) Throughout the season, Deng significantly improved his three-point shooting after coach Tom Thibodeau asked him to. In the past four seasons, Deng attempted 132 three-point shots, whereas during this season he attempted 333, making 115.Pass the Mic: Luol Deng Wins The Most Underrated Player Award on Dime Magazine; Bressman, Eric (31 March 2011)
Deng finished the season averaging 17.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, being the third scorer for the Bulls behind Derrick Rose (25.0) and Carlos Boozer (17.5).Luol Deng – Chicago Bulls – Career Statistics on Yahoo! Sports During the first round of the 2011 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 31 March 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".Pass the Mic: Luol Deng wins the Most Underrated Player Award on Dime Magazine; Bressman, Eric (31 March 2011) 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 deserves All-Defensive on Chicago Tribune; Johnson, K.C. (14 March 2011)
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 Heat went on to eliminate the Bulls in five games.Deng neutralizes James on Chicago Tribune; Greenstein, Teddy (16 May 2011)Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Chicago Bulls overpower Miami Heat to take Game 1 of Eastern finals, 103–82 on New York Daily News (15 May 2011) Deng averaged just under 43 minutes, 16.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game during the 2011 playoffs.LeBron gives chase, but Deng throws down on Yahoo! Sports; Devine, Dan (27 May 2011)
2011–12 season: All-Star season