Luol Deng
I remember when we were in Egypt as refugees. It was tough, but there was always hope - hope that there's light at the end of the tunnel.Collection: Hope
Men from my tribe in Sudan - the Dinka tribe - are very tall, so you could say I was born to play basketball.
I don't mind someone saying I'm not good enough. It hurts more when someone says you're faking an injury.
The older you get, the more you appreciate where you are and the more confidence you have in what you can do.
I'm a big believer in that I'm here for a reason, and I don't want to forget where I'm from.
I've always wanted to have some sort of academy or program that links education and basketball.
Life is about going through things and learning along the way.
South Sudan is my home, and I am humbled to be in a position to help those suffering from lack of access to basic needs, especially the children facing severe acute malnutrition.
I'm not the same person on the court. I'm different when I'm off the court. Off the court, I don't need to be aggressive or anything.
I am big fan of Arsenal.
I only lived in Sudan until I was four years, so I cannot really relate to that. It is just a different lifestyle.
It is just a great honour to be representing Great Britain.
We talk about players going broke, but we don't talk about why that is happening.
I am extremely proud to be a part of the NBA's first game in Africa. Coming from South Sudan and having participated in the Basketball without Borders Africa camps in Johannesburg previously, I am truly honored to be part of this historic event.
Chicago is where I have always wanted to be.
I think that my offense comes from what I do with my defense.
Playing defense hard gets me going offensively.
When I go out there, I try to do everything I can to win. That doesn't mean I have to score more than the other team; it may mean stopping the other team.
I always believe every team that wins has to go through some things.
Earlier in my career, a lot of guys wanted individual numbers and to do well individually.
I know I make a lot of money, but for me - I came from nothing, so it's always been about the love of the game.
Every single team that I've played for, every single person would tell you that I've given it everything every single day.
My whole life, every time I've been down, I've found a way to turn it around.
Throughout my career, I've never really been a guy who created drama or wanted to deal with drama.
Sometimes people take struggling on the court to an extreme level.
For me, I had a close family. There were others like me who were going through a lot of rough times, so we always came together. It was understood that we would overcome hate, as long as you surround yourself with love and what's real.
The best thing I learned from Manute was to be selfless. He was always about his people. He was about helping others.
I get up early and go to bed early.
We had a court, and my brothers would play outdoors, with rims barely hanging in there.
I've seen a lot and experienced so many different cultures, and that's helped me a lot in my career and helped me mature as a person.
There are a lot of people in Chicago that I miss. I was there one year out of high school. So I basically grew up there.
There are a lot of people you never hear about that helped me a lot with my career and helped me become who I am that I've known for a long time and I still stay in touch with.
I think it's always going to be strange for me facing the Bulls.
I've always been low key, do my thing, do what I got to do, and get on with it.
I believe leaving school early was the right decision to make, but at first, I wasn't sure. But my coaches told me to follow my heart and there wouldn't be any regrets, and that's exactly what I did.
When people ask me where I'm from, I say I'm from the Sudan. But when they ask what my hometown is, I say London. It's where I lived, and it's where my whole family lived.
London is where I grew up, and I know it better than any other place.
Even in high school, when I had injuries, I tried to play with them. When I shouldn't have worked out, I worked out.
What I try to do is to look ahead of me and not look back. Whether that's a good thing or bad thing, I'm just focused on trying to get better.
I've been in situations in my career where I've had slumps and struggles. I always stick with it and just keep working.
The way I play, I'm always moving. I like to move the ball.
When you have a new coach, a couple new guys, and a young team, the frustrating part throughout the year is the up and down.
Manute Bol taught my family the game of basketball.
Because I was the youngest boy, I was always my mom's favorite - and my brothers were always tough on me.
I really didn't want to play basketball for the longest time, but I just wouldn't stop growing. But I always wanted to be a professional soccer player.
I was just a lanky kid, just tall.
It's not easy not to play.
No matter what I do for the rest of my career, I think I'll always be a Bulls guy.
At some point, when I was in Chicago for maybe eight years, I never thought I would leave Chicago. I wish it would have happened that way, but everything happens for a reason.
When I look back at 19, coming here to Chicago, some of the things that were said, some of the stuff that you deal with - at 19 years old, it's a lot of pressure.