South Sudan's basketball 'Bright Stars' on Olympic mission to make their nation proud

KIGALI, Rwanda — "Bigger than basketball.”

After qualifying for the Olympics for the first time, South Sudan's basketball team are on a mission to make their troubled young country proud.

The players come from the United States, Australia, Canada, some starting out life in refugee camps.

They know little about their country, as their parents fled during the Sudan conflict of 1983-2005, one of the longest civil wars on record, that eventually paved the way to South Sudan's independence in 2011.

But this "bunch of refugees", as Wenyen Gabriel describes them, is determined to write one of the rare positive chapters in the history of the youngest nation in the world.

Just two years after the heady days of independence, South Sudan was plunged into its own catastrophic civil war from 2013-2018 that killed about 400,000 people and displaced millions.

Today, the country of about 11 million people is still plagued by political and ethnic violence, poverty and corruption, as well as frequent natural calamities such as floods and drought.

"Whenever we put on that jersey, we know that we're not just playing for ourselves," captain Kuany Kuany told AFP in an interview in July during Olympic preparations in the Rwandan capital Kigali.

"There's a whole nation, a country behind us that is seeing us as a beacon of hope, to change the narrative and bring optimism and positivity back to the country."

Gabriel, a 27-year-old who has played alongside NBA superstars, concurred.

"There's been a lot of things in the past, a lot of wars, a lot of darkness, but there's a lot of brightness in the future.

"Our name is the 'Bright Stars' and I think us representing our country in this light and us showing that we are all united is very important for our country, way deeper than basketball. And we want to build something great."

- Eagles, water, heat -

The team were thrown into the international spotlight when they took part for the first time in the Basketball World Cup in August last year, arousing feverish delight at home where life came to a halt during their matches.

Their journey through the tournament -- with three victories in five matches in the Philippines -- opened the door to the Olympics.

Only five athletes before them have competed at the Games under the flag of South Sudan.

The Bright Stars' performance in Manila proved their talent to the world and also to themselves.

"It was the first time ever that we've played against non-African teams... it went to show us that we really have what it takes," said Kuany.

And in a warm-up match last weekend in London they nearly delivered a stunning upset to the mighty US team, eventually losing by just one point (101-100).

Their rise has been meteoric, from the lowest continental level to the biggest competition in the space of four years.

Their American coach Royal Ivey, who joined in 2021 after 12 years as a player and assistant coach in the NBA, recalled the early training sessions.

"We're playing outside in a gym and there are eagles flying around, there's water on the court, the court is slanted, the heat is immense," he told AFP.

"It was step by step, but when I first took on this job, there was no expectation, no standard, no goal."

- The mentor -

One man lies at the heart of the success of the Bright Stars -- Luol Deng.

A refugee himself, the former Chicago Bulls player and two-time All Star (2012, 2013), took over as head of South Sudan's basketball federation in 2019.

With his deep passion for his homeland, his charisma, coupled with his experience playing at the highest level and his own money, Deng built, financed and even trained the team before the arrival of his friend Ivey.

He created a collective made up of South Sudanese players dotted around the world, in countries such as Australia, China and France.

The NBA experience of Gabriel and Carlick Jones combines with the raw talent of promising youngsters such as 17-year-old Khaman Maluach.

"What we do is play basketball, but it's bigger than basketball," said Ivey. "Our mission is to unite the country and bring it together and help and heal the country."

The South Sudanese diaspora is expected to turn out in large numbers in Paris to support their "Bright Stars", who will be up against the United States, Serbia and Puerto Rico in a particularly challenging group.

"I'm expecting madness," smiles Gabriel, whose Olympic debut will see a reunion in France of relatives from across the world.

"We're a very prideful people. I'm sure that they're going to fill the stands up, you'll hear them for sure."