As the buzzer sounds to signify the end of the first-round game in the FIBA Basketball World Cup, a member of Angola’s national men’s basketball team heaves a three-point shot that bounces harmlessly off the back of the rim (FIBA, 2023). With that, the South Sudanese men’s basketball team secures a 23-point win along with their first-ever birth in the Summer Olympics (Reuters, 2023). While the 2024 Olympic games have yet to begin, there is already a winner in the form of this team that has overcome countless obstacles to success since they began playing for the world’s newest country only 10 years ago. However, the team appropriately nicknamed the “Bright Stars” isn’t just looking to be a feel-good story. They’re going to Paris this summer as the top-ranked African team with the same relentless and dedicated drive to win that they’ve had since day one (FIBA, 2023).
Considering that South Sudan is the newest country on Earth, having declared its independence from Sudan in 2011, it might seem out of the ordinary for people to already be fleeing a country that has hardly even begun to exist. However, the history of South Sudan has been plagued with systemic issues such as oppression, civil conflicts, famine, and much more which have made it a difficult place to live for so many people. This has caused the largest refugee crisis in the African continent and the third-largest crisis in the world at the present day (UNHCR, 2023).
The source of the conflicts and issues present in South Sudan can be traced back to the region’s colonization by the British. Due to the relative ease with which the British were able to control the northern portions of the country, more financial and administrative power was given to this region compared to the south, where the colonizing forces were often at war with the local inhabitants. Additionally, the British strategically pitted the Muslim Arab-majority population of the north against the primarily ethnically African population of the south who largely held Christian or Animist religious beliefs. This led to an imbalance of power existing between these two regions as well as resentment from the people of southern Sudan to those in the north due to the lack of governmental, financial, and social representation that they experienced. These issues continued to persist after Sudan declared its independence in 1956 and began the process of self-governance. Discontentment with this inequality led to the formation of various southern Sudanese rebel groups which defied the wishes of the authoritarian government with demands for democracy. These sporadic uprisings exploded into a fully-fledged civil war that would last the better part of 20 years. This civil conflict led to the deaths of an estimated 4 to 5 million people and displaced countless more. The country continued to be enveloped in this war until the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that granted southern Sudan semi-autonomous status, which continued until 2011 when South Sudan declared its independence and became the newest country on Earth (Britannica, 2024).
While independence was a major step on South Sudan’s pathway to rectifying the historic injustices and inequalities that had been forced upon them, there are still many issues present in the country that have hindered its development and limited the welfare of its citizens. One of the main issues was that ethnic tensions between groups in South Sudan continued to lead to rebel groups fighting with each other and causing instability, economic stagnation, and endangerment of civilians in the country. These issues are compounded by the young government’s lack of control over its territory in addition to corruption and infighting within different rebel factions which block any potential improvement of living conditions and safety for its constituents (Britannica, 2024). All of these issues in addition to the aforementioned historic and systemic problems have caused approximately 2.3 million citizens to flee to surrounding countries, with another 2.2 million people internally displaced in South Sudan (UNHCR, 2023).
Amidst all of the tension, strife, and unrest that characterizes the state of life in much of South Sudan, one would think that hope would be a commodity in short supply. However, the story of this country’s national basketball team provides just that. Basketball culture has blossomed in South Sudan as a result of the success and financial support of NBA stars like Manut Bol and Luol Deng, who both left their home country as refugees and would later become all-star caliber players in the United States during the 1990s and 2000s (Al Jazeera, 2023). In doing so, they made countless more people aware of the struggles facing South Sudan, as well as paving the way for so many more players of South Sudanese descent such as Bol Bol and Wenyen Gabriel along with coach Royal Ivey to pursue their passion of basketball in the present day (Dunn, 2022).
The foundation of South Sudan’s national basketball program in 2011, shortly after independence, marked an attempt by the new government to create a source of hope and identity for the people of this country still struggling to find a state of normalcy, even if the expectations for the team were minimal (FIBA, 2016). They trained on an outdoor concrete court with minimal equipment and funding and had plenty of early struggles, from coaching inconsistencies to formidable international competition. However, a strong performance at their inaugural AfroBasket tournament in 2017, followed by a run to the quarterfinals in the 2021 edition, cemented their position as a growing power in African basketball (FIBA, 2020). But it was their first real foray into global competition in the 2023 FIBA World Cup that saw them beat major basketball forces such as China and Tunisia to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics (Reuters, 2023). Now, a team that just over 10 years ago lost its first game ever played will have the opportunity to demonstrate on sports’ biggest stage what people familiar with their story already know: they’re really good at basketball.
The South Sudanese team has been vocal about their motivation for playing, which is to both demonstrate to the world the strength of their country along with creating impactful connections back home through the game of basketball (Al Jazeera, 2023). They recognize that, as some of the most successful international athletes for a country still in its infancy, they are sailing into uncharted waters of fame and prestige but also immense responsibility. Yet, their purpose of providing a source of inspiration for their homeland’s citizens, from the elders who have witnessed monumental shifts occur during their lifetimes to the children who have never lived anywhere but South Sudan, is unwavering. This is self-evident in the way that they play and the immense success that has helped them burst onto the scene of global basketball. It’s always a joyful experience to witness unselfish, team-minded, and truly great basketball being played, and it is going to be very fun to see what the Bright Stars can do while shining in the City of Lights this summer.
Sources:
South Sudan refugee crisis explained. (July 24, 2023). UNHCR. https://www.unrefugees.org/news/south-sudan-refugee-crisis-explained/
South Sudan | Facts, Map, people, & History. (2024, May 8). Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/South-Sudan/Continued-problems-with-Sudan
Reuters. (2023, September 2). “So surreal”: South Sudan beat Angola to qualify for Paris 2024. Reuters. Retrieved May 13, 2024, from https://www.reuters.com/sports/basketball/so-surreal-south-sudan-beat-angola-qualify-paris-2024-2023-09-02/
South Sudan qualify for 2024 Olympics as top-ranked African side. (2023.). FIBA.Basketball. https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023/news/south-sudan-qualify-for-2024-olympics-as-top-ranked-african-side
FIBA - The Basketball Channel. (2023, September 2). History made as South Sudan beat Angola to clinch Olympic spot | J9 Highlights | #FIBAWC 2023 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfuES5DjSR4
Al Jazeera English. (2023, September 3). Luol Deng: Uniting a country through basketball | Generation Sport [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH-IYYVsa2I
Dunn, S. (2022, March 7). Nets assistant Royal Ivey on coaching South Sudan & growing basketball in Africa. Boardroom. https://boardroom.tv/nets-royal-ivey-south-sudan-basketball-coach/
South Sudan coach Deng: “‘We want to make things right.’” (2021). FIBA.Basketball. https://www.fiba.basketball/afrobasket/2021/qualifiers/news/south-sudan-coach-deng-we-want-to-make-things-right
South Sudan looking to promote the country through basketball. (2016). FIBA.Basketball. https://www.fiba.basketball/news/south-sudan-looking-to-promote-the-country-through-basketball