Growing the sport of basketball across the globe has been a passion of Luol Deng’s since he first entered the NBA in 2004.
The Lakers forward has been particularly involved in his native Africa and, for the second consecutive time, will serve as a captain at this year’s NBA Africa Game.
Born in South Sudan and having lived in Egypt, Deng will act as the leader of Team Africa alongside co-captain Thabo Sefolosha.
Tip-off will take place at the Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Aug. 5.
“I’m thrilled to be coming back to Johannesburg to lead Team Africa alongside Thabo,” Deng said in a statement. “The first NBA Africa Game in 2015 was a lot of fun, and it will be a privilege to play in front of our African fans once again.”
Deng was named the game’s co-MVP back in 2015 alongside Team World’s Chris Paul. Deng put up 20 points in Team Africa’s 101-97 loss.
Born in Wau, South Sudan, Deng has been involved with numerous charities aiming to give back to his home region. These include the Lost Boys project, which aided Sudanese orphans living in Chicago, and Deng Courts, which built basketball courts in remote areas of Africa.