Luol Deng  
NBA Forward, Chicago Bulls

Luol Deng (born April 16, 1985 in Wau, Sudan) is a British professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls, where he plays small forward.

Deng is a member of the Dinka tribe that produces many of the tallest people in the world. His father, Aldo, served in the Sudanese parliament and became the country’s Minister of Transportation before moving to Egypt to avoid Sudan’s civil war. While in Egypt, he was taught basketball by Manute Bol, another member of the Dinka tribe. In 1993, Deng’s father was granted political asylum in England. His family emigrated to South Norwood in London, England where Deng developed an interest in soccer and basketball. At the age of 14, Luol moved to the United States to play basketball at Blair Academy in New Jersey. He was named First Team All-America by Parade Magazine and USA Today, and was selected to play in the McDonald's High School All-America game, in which he performed at a very high standard and impressed many top NBA players. After graduation, he decided to attend Duke University. In one season at Duke, he appeared in 37 games and made 32 starts. He averaged 30.1 minutes and scored 15.1 points per game en route to a berth in the 2004 Final Four. He is only the 10th freshman in ACC history to lead all rookies in scoring, rebounding, and field goal percentage. 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.

On May 3, 2007, Deng won the NBA's sportsmanship award in a vote by players. The award honors the player who best exemplifies ethical behavior, fair play and integrity on the court. Deng is involved in numerous charities, and the league will donate $25,000 on his behalf to Pacific Garden Mission, the oldest continuously operating rescue mission in the country. Deng was a member of the Bulls' All-Star Reading Team and participated in the team's Read To Achieve program. He organized a holiday shopping spree for 25 children from the Martin Luther King Boys & Girls Club and a group of the Lost Boys of the Sudan, and participated in the Bulls Scholar Jam, celebrating the achievements of the seventh and eighth grade students who completed the 2004-05 academic program. In addition, Deng was a part of the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders tour to Africa in the summer of 2006.

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