By Kei Emmanuel Duku
South Sudan’s basketball team, the Bright Stars, is gearing up for the Olympics in style. They’ll face the mighty United States of America in a friendly match held in London before heading to Paris.
The exciting news comes after the Bright Stars secured their spot at the Paris Games by defeating Angola in the Basketball World Cup qualifier. They’ll be the sole African representative, ready to take on the world’s best.
The draw placed South Sudan in Group B alongside the US, Serbia, and Puerto Rico. Dr. Ramadan Chan Aru, Secretary General of the Basketball Federation, confirmed the July friendly match against the US.
“LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant—these legends have been following our bright stars,” Dr. Aru said. “They invited us for a friendly match in London in mid-July, and its happening.”
The Federation recently announced a 50-player training camp in preparation for both the friendly and the Olympics. While their ranking slipped slightly to 33rd globally (second in Africa) in the latest FIBA rankings, the US and Serbia remain dominant at first and fourth, respectively. Puerto Rico sits at 16th.
“It’s a tough group,” Dr. Aru acknowledged. “But every team at this stage is a powerhouse. We trust our squad completely,” he added.
Specific dates for the training camp haven’t been released yet, but the Federation is working on finalizing arrangements.
Twelve teams will compete in the Paris Olympics. South Sudan opens their campaign against Puerto Rico on July 28th, followed by a highly anticipated clash with the US powerhouse two days later.
They’ll wrap up the group stage against Serbia in August. The Paris Olympics will run from July 26th to August 11th, 2024.