The newest nation in Africa, South Sudan, is currently the talk of town as its sterling performance news gains traction. South Sudan has made significant strides in basketball over the past four years. Their Basketball team delivered a stellar performance against an all-star United States team. The NBA superstars played, against the only African team, on Saturday before winning by half a basket. They were competing in an Olympic warm-up game in London, which favored the American boys.
LeBron James, with eight seconds remaining on the clock, helped his team with a drive lay-up that decided their fate. The all-time NBA scoring leader registered a game-high 25 points. Marial Shayok, scored 24 points for South Sudan before James saved the day. The game was played at the O2 Arena.
“The ending was good for us – just to feel that, to feel what it’s going to feel like in Paris..” US coach Steve Kerr said
South Sudan’s Fortitude
South Sudan’s participation in this Olympics is merited based on its World Cup finish in 2023. This is their debut and are already favorites with many. Their national federation is led by former NBA player, Luol Deng, and their basketball team coach is Royal Ivey, former NBA guard and now Houston assistant coach. They are the only team representing Africa in the 2024 Olympic Games.
Talking Numbers
- South Sudan led 58-44 at half-time.
- South Sudan made 14 3-pointers, while the U.S. made 7.
- JT Thor, former NBA’s Charlotte Hornets for the past three seasons, sank a 3-pointer with 20 seconds remaining giving South Sudan a 100-99 lead.
- Carlik Jones, of South Sudan, missed a jumper with 6 secs to go. Wenyen Gabriel missed 2 rebound attempts before the final buzzer.
- Lebron sparked a 23-5 USA run late in the third quarter to early in the fourth.
- Cameroon-born Joel Embiid, who became a US citizen in 2022, added 14 points and 7 rebounds for the Americans.
- Anthony Davis came off the bench to produce 15 points and 11 rebounds for the USA.
- 17,343 spectators in London witnessed the USA and South Sudan thriller at the O2 Arena.
The USA has already defeated other Olympic teams as they warm up for Paris. They beat Serbia and Australia in two games held in Abu Dhabi last week. It was followed by a win over Canada in Las Vegas on July 10. After the South Sudan game thriller, they will play Germany next on Monday before taking off for France. The USA basketball team is looking for a fifth straight gold medal in men’s basketball ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Training Camp and Preparations
The SSD team, popularly known as Bright Stars, assembled in Rwanda’s Capital, Kigali, and began training camp on July 1st, 2024. The Sudan team was hosted at the BK Arena for two weeks.
They then moved to Madrid, Spain where they participated in two friendly matches against Argentina and Portugal on July 15th and 16th. They beat Portugal, 80-72, and suffered a loss with Argentina, 81-72, on Monday. Following these matches, the Bright Stars traveled to London, where they made their debut at the O2 Arena against Great Britain on July 18th, beating them narrowly 84-81. They played the USA on July 20th.
SSD will make its Olympics debut in Lille, France on the 28th of July vs Puerto Rico. We look forward to seeing them do Africa proud once again!
