Luol Deng
Luol Deng | ||
Deng in the jersey of the Minnesota Timberwolves (2019) |
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Player information | ||
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Full name | Luol Ajou Deng | |
birthday | 16th April 1985 (age 35) | |
place of birth | Wau , Sudan | |
size | 206 cm | |
position | Small forward / power forward | |
college | Duke | |
NBA draft | 2004 , 7th pick, Phoenix Suns | |
Clubs as active | ||
2004–2014 Chicago Bulls 2014 Cleveland Cavaliers 2014–2016 Miami Heat 2016–2018 Los Angeles Lakers 2018–2019 Minnesota Timberwolves |
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National team | ||
2007–2012 | Great Britain |
Luol Ajou Deng (born April 16, 1985 in Wau , Sudan , today South Sudan ) is a former South Sudanese- British basketball player who was active in the North American professional league NBA from 2004 to 2019 , most recently with the Minnesota Timberwolves . Previously, he was among other things a long time for the Chicago Bulls active.
Career
youth
Deng comes from the Dinka . As a child, he and his family fled the civil war to Egypt . There he first met the former NBA player Manute Bol , who also belonged to the Dinka. This taught Deng's brothers how to play basketball, who later passed this on to Luol.
In 1993 his family moved to London , where he quickly became the country's pre-eminent junior basketball player. At the age of 16 Deng went to New Jersey in the USA. After graduating from high school , he played college basketball for Duke University .
NBA
In the 2004 NBA draft , Deng was selected by the Phoenix Suns in 7th place, but was immediately transferred to the Bulls in Chicago . In his first professional season he was able to convince with his achievements and was subsequently elected to the selection team of the best rookies in the league, the NBA All-Rookie First Team . In the following season he already got most of the playing time of all players with the Bulls. Also in the 2006/07 season , Deng played a key role in helping the Bulls regain strength. In addition, he received the NBA Sportsmanship Award in 2007 for his fair sporting behavior. In the 2010/11 season Deng reached the final series of the Eastern Conference with the Bulls . In 2012 he was first selected as a reservist for the NBA All-Star Game . In 2013 he was invited again to the All-Star-Game together with his teammate Joakim Noah .
After Deng turned down an offer for a contract extension with the Bulls, he was transferred to the Cleveland Cavaliers in early January 2014 . In return, Chicago received Andrew Bynum . In addition to Bynum, who was immediately released, the Bulls received three draft picks. This has saved Chicago around $ 15 million in salaries and luxury taxes.
At the end of the season, Deng's contract ended. After several clubs submitted offers, Deng decided to move to the Miami Heat . There he received a contract until summer 2016.
For the 2016/17 season Deng moved to the Los Angeles Lakers . He was released from the team on September 1, 2018. The goal of Deng's dismissal was to terminate his lavish contract in order to place another star at the side of the newly signed LeBron James .
Deng played for the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 2018-19 season , where he was reunited with Derrick Rose , Taj Gibson and coach Tom Thibodeau . He completed 22 season games. At the end of the season he left the Wolves and signed a 1-day contract with the Chicago Bulls in October 2019 to officially end his career as a player for the Bulls.
During his 15-year NBA career, Deng scored 14.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in over 900 NBA games.
National team
In October 2006 Deng received British citizenship and is therefore also allowed to appear in the adults for the British national team , after he had already played in youth teams for England. With that he qualified for the European Championship 2009 and the European Championship 2011 . With the national team, Luol Deng took part in the 2012 Olympic basketball tournament in London.
Achievements and Awards
- NBA All-Star : 2012 , 2013
- NBA All-Rookie First Team : 2004/05
- NBA Sportsmanship Award : 2007
- NBA All-Defensive Second Team : 2012
- J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award : 2014
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Mike Dodd: Deng: A real-life globetrotter making it in the NBA USA Today (March 6, 2007)
- ↑ nba.com: Chicago's Deng Wins 2006-07 NBA Sportsmanship Award ( Memento from June 15, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) nba.com (May 3, 2007)
- ↑ Cavs trade Bynum to Chicago spox.com (January 7, 2014)
- ↑ Lakers waive Luol Deng, clear cap space to add max player alongside LeBron James next summer . In: CBSSports.com . ( cbssports.com [accessed September 1, 2018]).
- ^ Bulls Sign Luol Deng - Deng to retire as Chicago Bull
- ↑ Rob Dugdale: NBA star Deng ready for GB debut BBC (October 18, 2006)
- ↑ Cavs' Deng wins J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award ( Memento of the original from April 17, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. nba.com (April 15, 2014)
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Deng, Luol |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Deng, Luol Adjou |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | South Sudanese-British basketball player |
DATE OF BIRTH | April 16, 1985 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Wau , Sudan |