South Sudan to Sydney: How the journeys of three stars converged at the Kings

Bul Kuol was playing football with his friends when a torrential downpour of rain brought the game to a sudden halt. Not only was the game over, but the group now faced the urgent challenge to beat a flood-prone river en route back home. Despite their best efforts to beat the rising water, Bul was swept away by the current. In a split second, a friend's hand reached in, bravely pulling him to safety.

The story, recounted with vivid emotion and detail, is one of many from Bul’s youth in Lobone - a refugee camp located on the border of Sudan and Ethiopia. He describes those times as a period of joyous, youthful naïveté amidst a backdrop of tribal differences, civil war and unspeakable violence.

“Who knows how many guys have those types of stories, there’s probably plenty of them,” Bul reflected.

“We had no idea about what life meant, it was just a bunch of us embracing our childhood. That came with a lot of dangers that we didn’t know about. We were completely reckless as kids, but I lived to talk about it.”

PURCHASE YOUR KINGS HOME GAME TICKETS NOW

Such experiences frame the significance of Bul’s achievements over the last twelve months - from Ethiopia to Kakuma, Kenya, and from there to Canberra, Bul Kuol is now one of South Sudan’s most credentialed professional basketball players, a key piece to the Olympic team that won the hearts of not just their country, but neutral fans around the world on sports biggest stage.

Despite playing three games and finishing ninth, South Sudan was the lingering story from Paris. The country was established 13 years ago, with the national team making its debut at a major tournament in 2020 - their inclusion in Afrobasket coming only by virtue of a team pulling out. “For it to go from there to the World Cup and then qualify for the Olympics in our first effort, it was an incredible story,” Kuol reflected.

The most impactful moment may have been realised in their warm-up game against Team USA, where the country's most talented diaspora went head-to-head against some of the world’s best stars. The team would come agonisingly close, losing 100 to 101. While it was a narrow defeat on the scoreboard, for South Sudan, it was a powerful statement.

Bul’s defensive efforts drew praise from one of the greatest scorers of all time, Kevin Durant: “He’s super physical. I love his intensity. I respect how he approaches the game. They didn’t back down at all.”

After the game, random people were stopping Bul on the street, or when ordering food: “You almost had them!”. It was the first time he’d ever felt like a celebrity.

“There’s no type of exposure like the Olympics. For the first time, people noticed our flag, where we were from, they had heard about us - they had no idea,” Kuol said.

“That impact on the international community [was big]. For our country, the footage we’d see on social media, people would be messaging me. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced something like that.”

Watch the Sydney Kings' South Sudan feature via the Sydney Kings' YouTube channel above. While you're there, be sure to hit subscribe, to ensure you never miss out on any of our great videos.

For South Sudan—a young nation forged after decades of civil war and currently facing internal conflict, poverty, and crisis—the basketball team’s success became a symbol of unity and national pride. However, despite the euphoria, Bul reflects with a mature perspective: “I feel like it can sometimes be a band-aid solution.”

“You just cover [issues] up and hope it heals, or shove it under the rug, so it gave us a moment of peace, where the whole country was united under one goal, one support, regardless of where you’re from, what tribe or what language you spoke. There are around 64 languages in my country. There are so many things that divide us. In that moment for everyone to be at home cheering for us, and supporting us as one, it’s cool, and I hope it lasts, but now there’s a responsibility for us to move forward, rather than just depend on these events to bring us together. We need to take responsibility for the daily things - how we deal with corruption that is still prevalent and is hurting our country, we’re very individualised, we can be selfish, and so there are these things that are dividing us and hurting us as a people. Maybe this gave us a moment that we can feel good about, but there are things we can actually do to bring change, so hopefully, our leaders, the president, and the national team is a good example of what it means to be united under one goal, so hopefully people in our country take responsibility for themselves and bring change.”

As a teenager, Bul would watch countless NBA games featuring Luol Deng. He would tune in to One HD to watch the Derrick Rose-led Chicago Bulls, but it was Deng—the hard-working veteran—who inspired him most. Like many aspiring South Sudanese basketballers, their achievements are built on the legacy of the country’s sporting pioneers, such as Deng (now South Sudan Basketball Federation President) and Manute Bol, the late 7’7" centre who was the first South Sudanese player in the NBA.

“Those names mean a lot to me. Manute Bol was close to my uncle in Chicago, where my uncle lives, and he was close with Lu and Manute Bol, and the stories I hear about both of them. Manute has touched so many Sudanese, and everyone has a story about him. Some of the things he has done are not widely covered, but the person that he was, as well as a basketball player, cared so much about his people. That is someone who I aspire to impact people just as much as he has. The story and the legacy that he’s left behind is an incredible one. I think it would make him proud for him to see where we’re at as Sudanese basketball players but also to see his country on the international stage.”

It turns out, you don’t have to go past the Kings organisation, let alone Sydney, to find another individual with a story about Manute Bol.

Kouat Noi, born in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, was sick as a child - so much so that his life was at risk. Manute Bol paid for his medical treatment.

“My dad played for Sudan long before they were as big as they are today. He played against Manute,” Kouat said, explaining the connection.

“[My dad] was a big reason why I got into basketball. In the earliest stages of my life, my dad taught me to play basketball, and he actually wore a headband as well, so that’s why I wear a headband today.”

Like Bul, Kouat was selected on South Sudan’s Olympic training camp roster, though he didn’t make the final roster of twelve. It didn’t stop Kouat watching on with pride.

“Watching [the national team] was huge. I looked through Snapchat, Instagram stories, and saw other all sorts of relatives at different events watching the national team play, it was bigger than basketball for a whole nation. To see my teammate Bul who I grew up with, for him to go out there and dominate, put up numbers and get recognised for what he did is huge, and I’m very proud of what they did for our country.

Bul and Kouat go back - not just to Cairns, where they were teammates for the Taipans - but as junior athletes, where they were teammates in the national South Sudanese tournament at the age of 11.

PURCHASE YOUR NBL25 FULL-SEASON MEMBERSHIP NOW

Together with Makuach Maluach, Kouat’s teammate at the Darwin Salties this NBL1 season, the Kings have assembled a talented and close-knit trio of South Sudanese athletes on the roster.

“Having all the boys together is great,” Noi said. “Sometimes we go out for dinner, sometimes we chop it up here, old memories.”

A similar camaraderie was present on the Salties during the off-season, with Kouat describing the chemistry as “second to none”.

“Honestly it was one of the funnest years I had playing basketball. It was a great year. Off the court, we were constantly laughing at each other, constantly making jokes, the off-court stuff is just as important as the on-court stuff - that’s why we had such a fun year.”

Beyond the bonding, the season was an opportunity for the boys to build momentum into the NBL25 season. Noi describes his physical shape as ‘the best of his life’.

For Makuach, the Salties season was all about confidence. As Kings fans know well, the Armadale-grown guard has seized limited opportunities in his young career thus far, teetering on the precipice of a full-time rotational role.

“Every athlete goes through it. One of my close Sudanese friends said throughout your career you may have 3 or 4 teams or you’re going to be the main guy, otherwise, you’re going to be playing a role, so I come in with every opportunity and try to go out there and do whatever the team needs to do to win. This year is no different, this year whenever my number is called I come in there, try to play defence and play as hard as I can however long I get.”

Only a few games into the season, and Makuach’s ability to step in and impact games has already been evidenced. After a scoreless opening game against Adelaide, Makuach competed in training, knocking down shots and hustling on defence. Head Coach Brian Goorjian comes over: “I love the way you’re training today, Makuach, I want you to know that!”. Makuach would come out for an impactful 8 points off the bench in 12 minutes that next game.

“I’m not really used to that with some of the coaches I’ve had before”, Makuach says. “He puts batteries in everyone’s backs”.

With Kouat and Bul equally keen to gush about the presence of coach Goorjian, and a palpable chemistry amongst the playing group, the Kings feel back to a level of cohesion vital for their championship aspirations.

It feels as though these three South Sudanese talents, stories intertwining but ultimately all brought together in Sydney, will be a considerable part of the equation.