Luol Deng Calls Out Former NBA Stars for “Disrespectful” Comments on South Sudan

• South Sudan Basketball Federation’s President Luol Deng has fired back at Paul Pierce and Gilbert Arenas
• Deng was responding to comments made by the two former NBA stars on his team before and after their game against the USA
• The two retired NBA stars came under fire for "disrespecting" South Sudan, who nearly defeated the USA in an exhibition game

Luol Deng, the federation's president, has responded to controversial comments made by former NBA stars Paul Pierce and Gilbert Arenas on his team.

Pierce and Arenas recently came under fire for making fun of South Sudan before and after their incredible exhibition game against the USA.

Last weekend, South Sudan, the 33rd-ranked nation in the world, went toe to toe with the USA in a friendly encounter in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

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Deng's team were up by 14 at halftime and nearly snatched an upset win over the NBA superstars. A LeBron James layup late in the game sealed a 101-100 win for USA, per ESPN.

Before the game, Pierce, the 2008 NBA champion with the Boston Celtics, made some controversial remarks.

“Man, they probably haven’t got anyone over 6'3'', Pierce joked. “Now we’ve got South Sudan, they should’ve just put Lithuania in.”

After the game, Arenas, the former Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards guard, mocked South Sudan, eliciting strong reactions from the basketball world.

"Almost lost to some Africans," he said. "Embiid throwing the game for his cousins [South Sudan]. They don’t even have shoes. They get their shoes from America. We gotta ship them shoes..."

Luol Deng responds to Pierce and Arenas

Luol Deng wrote a lengthy response on his Instagram, calling the comments disappointing because they came from people he respected.

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"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."

He thanked Piefece for apologising after South Sudan nearly defeated the USA.

"As for Gilbert’s comments, they were certainly more disrespectful and cruel. Personally, I don’t care much...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."

The USA and South Sudan will face each other at the Olympics on July 31.

USA beats South Sudan

Briefly News earlier reported that the USA narrowly defeated South Sudan in an exhibition game.

Carlik Jones had a triple-double for South Sudan but missed a potential game-winner after LeBron James put the USA up by one point.

Source: TUKO.co.ke