For 90 days get to know more about the international faces of the NBA. Day 24 brings...

Luol Deng (F, Miami Heat), Great Britain/South Sudan
Height: 2.06 m, 6-foot-9 | Weight: 99.8 kg, 220 pounds | Born: 16 April, 1985

Luol Deng fought against the odds. His dream of playing for the Chicago Bulls once seemed so far away, but his extraordinary odyssey led him out of war-torn South Sudan to the NBA.

During the Second Sudanese Civil War, 3-year-old Deng and his family fled their homeland and lived in exile in Egypt for six years. It was in Egypt that he picked up his first basketball.

His family was then granted political asylum in Great Britain, and despite not speaking English, emigrated to London. In London, Deng honed his basketball skills. Hoping to increase his chances at a college basketball scholarship, he moved to the United States to play high school basketball.

During Deng's senior year of high school he was considered the second most promising high school senior in America – after LeBron James. After one year of Duke basketball, he got picked in the 2004 NBA Draft.

In a decade of wearing a Bulls' jersey from 20014-2014, Deng demonstrated he could do it all, charging his way onto the leaderboard of numerous all-time franchise records. He ranks 10th in blocks, 9th in rebounds, 8th in free-throws, 7th in 3-pointers, 6th in games played, 5th in field goals, and 4th in total points. For part of the 2013-14 season Deng spent it with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and in the 2014 off-season signed with the Miami Heat.

Although he's had a tough road he expresses gratitude, "I don't like to think what I'd be doing if I'd stayed in Sudan…My life would have been very different," Deng told InterBasketball.

Achievements/Awards:
- 2x NBA All-Star (2012, 2013)
- NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2012)
- NBA Sportsmanship Award (2007)
- NBA All-Rookie First Team (2005)
- J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award (2014)

Key Stats:
2013-14 Season: GP: 63 | MPG: 35.1 | PTS: 16.0 | REB: 5.7 | AST: 2.9
Season Highlight: In six consecutive games Deng scored over 20 points each game from 24 Nov-5 Dec, 2013.

5 Things To Know
1. His favorite movie is Avatar. (The Guardian)
2. He eats a lot of vegetables, even though he hates them. (The Guardian)
3. Deng was asked to represent Great Britain for football when he was 13.
4. He wears jersey number 9 because he's one of nine kids.
5. He is a spokesperson for the World Food Programme.

Check out Deng's photos and video in the LEAGUE section of NBA Game Time.

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