South Sudan have suffered a major blow ahead of the Olympics as their headline player, the Phoenix Suns' Bol Bol, is out of the roster for Paris for undisclosed "personal reasons".
Ajou Deng, an assistant coach for the national team and the older brother of the South Sudan Basketball Federation's president, Luol Deng, confirmed to ESPN that Bol would not make it to the Olympics, despite having been included on their initial 25-man roster for the recent training camp in Kigali.
South Sudan beat Great Britain 84-81 on Thursday in Bol's absence, reminding the world of the quality they possess in abundance even without star players such as Bol, Jo Lual-Acuil and Thon Maker.
They qualified for the Olympics by being the best-placed African national team at the FIBA World Cup despite being without these key men at the time. On Bol's World Cup absence, Ajou Deng said: "Bol Bol has had a situation that he's been going through in the NBA.
"He always wanted to play. At the World Cup, he wanted to play, but his situation at the time... He was let go by Orlando [Magic], so at that time, he wanted to focus on himself and his career."
Bol's presence in the team would be of symbolic significance, as his father - Manute Bol - was arguably the man who paved the way for South Sudan to become a basketball-loving nation with his heroics in the NBA for the Washington Bullets, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat. At the time, they had yet to gain independence, which they eventually won in 2011.
As a result of South Sudan's struggle for independence, many people from the region had to become refugees in other countries and thus, the federation often faces difficulties either convincing their top talents to play for the country or getting their clearance through FIBA.
According to Luol Deng, the federation tried to get Basketball Africa League (BAL) MVP Jo Lual-Acuil to participate in their pre-Olympic training camp but the South Sudanese-Australian big man initially declined - and by the time he fully committed to South Sudan, it was past their deadline.
Luol Deng told ESPN ahead of the training camp: "Anytime any player calls me and says: 'I want to play for Australia,' or they want to play for any other country, I say: 'Go ahead,' because for me, what makes us so good is that each player wants to play and it's hard for me to say no, so when someone tells me they don't want to play, I'd rather take someone who really wants to do it.
"I think with Jo Lual-Acuil, there was a lot of stuff going on with him, but I think now he wants to. The door is always open, so we'll see... We had to clear players, so I don't know if he can play. I need to go back to FIBA."
Former Baylor big man Lual-Acuil subsequently joined the Sacramento Kings for NBA Summer League and has impressed there. At a press conference during the BAL, he declined to comment on his position with regards to the South Sudan national team.
He is not the only South Sudanese-Australian player the national team has struggled to get in Bright Stars colors - with another being Thon Maker, who was drafted 10th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks and has represented Australia internationally.
Once a player has represented another national team, it becomes even more difficult for the federation to get them in South Sudan's colors - as they have found with former Los Angeles Lakers draft pick Ater Majok, who thus far has been unable to switch from Lebanon to South Sudan.
The team nevertheless does feature several experienced players, such as former Chicago Bulls point guard Carlik Jones, former Los Angeles Lakers center Wenyen Gabriel, and 2023 BAL MVP Nuni Omot - who, like Lual-Acuil, went to Baylor.
Center Khaman Maluach - an elite NBA Draft prospect who has signed for Luol Deng's alma mater, Duke - also featured against Great Britain.
There could yet be further surprises as the final roster is announced after Saturday's showcase game against the USA, but for Bol Bol, it has been confirmed that his Olympic dream will have to wait another four years.
