After his family escaped the Second Sudanese Civil War by relocating to Egypt, Luol Deng moved to London when he was just 8 years old.
The new Laker continues to try to help the country that granted his family asylum by hosting the third annual DENGTOP50 camp, which selects the United Kingdom's top 50 high school players through “individual drills, combine testing, classroom analysis, strength and conditioning training and competitive games.”
The four-day camp was held at the London Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, where the likes of Deng and Oklahoma City assistant coach Royal Ivey oversaw the action.
“I just want them to know that I’ve been in a similar situation as them,” Deng said in a camp video. “I grew up here. This is the same gym that I used to try to sneak in and play basketball. And now we’re having camps in it. There’s nothing different about me with them.”
Players from previous camps have gone on to play professionally in Europe and collegiately in the United States at schools like Bradley, Stony Brook, Duquesne and Cal State Los Angeles.
The camp states that its purpose is to serve the players and Great Britain National Team, which Deng has played on in the past. Deng — who became a British citizen in 2006 — represented the country at the 2012 London Olympics and holds the program scoring record from when he dropped 38 on Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2010.