LONDON (Great Britain) - South Sudan was shooting around in the sold-out O2 Arena when USA Basketball entered the court. Everyone stood up, screaming out loud.
It's understandable. Absolute legends of the game, like LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant, were just a few meters away from fans who had been dreaming about such a night.
As Tim Reynolds from the Associated Press reported, however, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Jrue Holiday already had 29,994 NBA points between them by July 9, 2011.
It's not a random date in history: it's the day that South Sudan officially became an independent state. Thirteen years later, losing by only one point in an exhausting showdown against USA Basketball on the road to the Olympic Games, they put the world on notice.
Ticking off the bucket lists
One of the youngest and poorest nations in the world could have only dreamed of making an appearance in a continental competition, let alone on the global stage. But South Sudan's climb to international success tells a different story: their first FIBA AfroBasket in Kigali, Rwanda in 2021; their first FIBA Basketball World Cup in Manila, Philippines in 2023; and their first Olympic Games in Paris, France in 2024. It's crazy to read it. Imagine witnessing it.
Luol Deng, the hero behind his home country's unbelievable basketball success, was forced to leave Africa to chase his professional dreams. He expressed all of his emotions back at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City after their biggest win in history, over Angola.
"I’m very proud. When I became the president of the Federation, I told everyone that my goal was first to get out of zone five, then make it to AfroBasket, to the FIBA World Cup, and to the Olympics. So far we’ve been able to achieve all of that. For me, it’s a special day. It’s something that I knew was possible for us to do, and I knew it took a lot of work," he said.
Fast forward almost ten months later, South Sudan is preparing for the Olympic Games in Paris as the only representative from Africa, having assembled a team made up of refugees, each older than their own country.
If that wasn't enough, before facing them in Group C of the Olympics in ten days, they led by as many as 16 points against USA Basketball. Understandably, they lost track in the third quarter but fought till the end, with LeBron James sealing the game with a drive to the rim.
All about opportunities
Analyzing South Sudan's almost-miracle at the O2 Arena may be difficult, especially considering different perspectives. On one hand, nobody saw it coming; on the other, the Bright Stars were capable of such a show thanks to opportunities found abroad.
Wenyen Gabriel emphasized this in the mixed zone following the 40-minute battle. "There are millions of people in the country who are no different from any of us. We've been able to represent ourselves and get to this level based on these opportunities," he said.
Whether in the States, Australia, Canada, or any other part of the world where these players had the chance to emerge, they knew how lucky they were. "[We wanted] to get our country respected, to show that we don't have any indoor basketball courts in our country," he continued.
"We don't have anything like that. We're a bunch of refugees that come together for a few weeks each year, trying our best, playing against some of the best players ever," he added.
"It's only a matter of time before the next generation gets built up. But there are some tall kids back home in villages who don't have any opportunities. Seven-foot-tall kids who are herding cows. Some people around the world don't have the opportunity to play basketball for a living. Some people have to go fishing for food. This is surviving," he stressed.
It was a proud moment for our people - Wenyen Gabriel
People are talking about South Sudan now, thanks to proud refugees who went up against the Dream Team. "A lot of people around the world didn't know what South Sudan was. Today we were able to represent our country with pride. We put up a good fight and showed the potential of our country, which was a proud moment for our people," he commented.
"Today was an example, and it was also something to bring us together. We've been a war-torn country; we've gone through a lot. Every single year there has been a lot of bloodshed. For us to have something to come together for, to stop with tribalism, and to look at each other differently is significant. It's a small country. But today we were all able to be united as one," he said.
Heading to the Olympic Games, Wenyen Gabriel hopes to make the global audience take notice of his country and his continent once more. "We just hope we continue to do different things to be united. To keep building our country so one day we can be really proud to say we're from South Sudan," he concluded.
The guys behind the fairy tale
A former teammate of Anthony Davis and LeBron James, Wenyen Gabriel is only one of the protagonists of South Sudan's road to the Olympics. Returning to his home country with UNHCR in 2022, he was able to give back to his people what he learned abroad.
Two years ago, Khaman Maluach was just emerging on the African basketball scene as the next big thing. Born and raised in Uganda, he became the third-youngest player ever to debut in a FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Less than a year later, before starting his college journey at Duke, he played against his childhood idols. "It was crazy in the beginning. I’ve been watching Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, and Bam Adebayo since I started playing basketball. It was in my head - Oh, I’m playing against these guys," he said after the game against USA Basketball.
In the 12-man pool that nearly upset Steve Kerr's team, there's also Carlik Jones, the sensational playmaker who carried South Sudan during the FIBA Basketball World Cup. Against Jrue Holiday and Steph Curry, he recorded the first-ever triple-double against Team USA, with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. He's aiming for more in Paris.
Then there's captain Kuany Kuany, the offensive show-stealer Marial Shayok, the versatile forward Nuni Omot, and JT Thor, who shot the almost-decisive three-point dagger from the corner. Each player has their own story.
All the guys made the South Sudanese community in London - and around the world - happier than ever before. Win or lose, it doesn't matter when everything surrounding South Sudan's program is bigger than basketball.
Head coach Royal Ivey was as happy as anyone when the Bright Stars qualified for the Olympic Games. It was the best sporting day of his life and the best day in the life of a whole country. Eleven million people can now unite under the same flag and colors, as the Stars are Bright.
FIBA