Just recently, both Gilbert Arenas and Paul Pierce dropped some controversial takes about South Sudan’s basketball team for the Olympics. This prompted former NBA star Luol Deng to come forth and address the ignorant remarks the two have made.
In a shocking turn of events, the heavily favored Team USA squad nearly suffered a historic defeat at the hands of South Sudan in a pre-Olympic exhibition game. Despite being favored before the match, the American team found themselves trailing by as much as 16 points against the upstart South Sudanese squad.
It took a clutch performance from Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James, who scored the game-winning shot in the final seconds, to propel Team USA to a narrow 101-100 victory. The close call seemed to catch many analysts by surprise, with former players like Paul Pierce and Gilbert Arenas making disparaging comments about South Sudan’s abilities.
Pierce claimed the team likely didn’t have any players over 6’3″, while Arenas went even further, saying they don’t have shoes and they need to send them some. The victory, while important for Team USA, exposed some complacency and overconfidence that the squad will need to address before the Olympics.
Former NBA Star Luol Deng Responds to Paul Pierce and Gilbert Arenas Ignorant South Sudan Remarks
After making those remarks, both Arenas and Pierce were blasted for the ignorance steeped into their opinions. In a post shared by Deng on his official Instagram account, the former NBA star called the pair out for what they said about his country.
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Deng, a former NBA All-Star and current president of the South Sudanese Basketball Federation, took the high road in response to disparaging comments made by Arenas and Pierce about his national team. Despite the close loss to Team USA, he graciously thanked the ex-players for helping South Sudan gain more exposure on the global stage.
Deng’s measured response contrasted sharply with the disrespectful takes, highlighting his professionalism and commitment to developing basketball in his war-torn home country. In any case, the whole incident has given South Sudan more attention, especially in the field of basketball.
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