Former Chicago Bulls star and the current president of the South Sudan Basketball Federation, Luol Deng, responded to racist and xenophobic comments that retired NBA player Gilbert Arenas recently made about the Northeast African basketball team.
Arenas, 42, made those comments after South Sudan was narrowly defeated by the United States basketball team in an exhibition game over the weekend, Sports Illustrated reported.
“[Joel Embiid] throwing the game for his cousins [South Sudan] and sh*t,” Arenas, who played for the Washington Wizards, said. “They don’t even have shoes. They get their shoes from America. We gotta ship them shoes… They shooting on f*cking peach baskets in dirt with no shoes.”
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“[Joel Embiid] throwing the game for his cousins [South Sudan] and sh*t… They don’t even have shoes. They get their shoes from America. We gotta ship them shoes… They shooting on f*cking peach baskets in dirt with no shoes.”
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 22, 2024
— Gilbert Arenas 😳pic.twitter.com/hxJ8X9ybn2
Retired Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce similarly mocked the South Sudan basketball team, but he later backtracked his comments and rendered an apology. Deng, who was born in South Sudan, also addressed Pierce in his lengthy statement – though he acknowledged his apology.
But Arenas’ disparaging comments particularly drew the ire of the public, with Cameroonian-born NBA star Joel Embiid even responding to what he said.
“I normally don’t pay attention to these type of comments, but as an African, a leader in my community, and the president of the South Sudan Basketball Federation, I feel it is important to respond. This is for those who have asked about these comments, those who are offended by them, and everyone who has followed our story,” Deng said in his lengthy Instagram post.
“I’m not upset or angry at these ignorant remarks made by my former colleagues; I was more disappointed to see them coming from two individuals I’ve always respected. The comments made by Paul Pierce showed misinformation and a lack of research. However, he used it as a teachable moment to shed positivity once he was informed. Thank you to Paul Pierce for apologising, that i can respect,” he added.
He continued: “Growing up, I heard many similar comments, and those very remarks are some of the things that motivated me to change the narrative. Africans now show solidarity and support for each other more than ever. Moments like this are not for us to get upset and lash out. Many Africans and Black people who embrace their African heritage are working hard to bring all Black people closer by educating and sharing stories and historic moments, teaching that we have much more in common than differences.”
Deng then went ahead to address Arenas’ comments, labeling what he said about the South Sudan basketball team as “certainly more disrespectful and cruel.”
“Personally, I don’t care much,” he wrote. “I would never trade places with anyone; being African is special. However, for young African and African American kids who admire and listen to Gilbert, these comments can make you think less of yourself and make the rest of the world think less of Africans. Those who are easily misled may make comments that reflect self-hate more than pride. There is nothing about our history that we should run away from.”
“I actually want to thank both of them for giving us this platform to respond and inform others. We’ve worked very hard in the last four years to be here, and we can’t allow mere seconds to take that away. Instead, let’s appreciate the moment and use these comments as an opportunity to educate. Being loved is always better than being tolerated,” he continued.
“If we as a people realized the greatness from which we came we would be less likely to disrespect ourselves.”
Deng, a prominent figure from South Sudan, enjoyed a successful NBA career with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. He also represented Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympics and participated in two FIBA Eurobaskets.
Deng’s journey is particularly remarkable as he fled war-torn Sudan at the age of five and later became deeply involved in basketball in his home country after retiring from the NBA. In 2019, he was unanimously elected as the president of SSBF, further cementing his commitment to the sport’s development in South Sudan.
