When South Sudan's basketball team qualified for the Paris Olympics, it "instilled renewed hope and confidence in the people of Africa's youngest country," said Semafor. The nation's history is "defined by conflict" and one of the longest civil wars on record, said BBC Sport Africa.Â
But South Sudan is "forging a new identity through basketball." The world's youngest sovereign state now exports "world-class players" to the NBA. At the FIBA men's World Cup last year, South Sudan, nicknamed the Bright Stars, became the top-ranking African team, earning it a spot at this year's Olympics. Last weekend, in a warmup match in London, the team came "within seconds" of a historic win against Team USA. "The entire country came to a halt," said Semafor's Akol Nyok Akol Dok from the capital Juba. "One night in London, South Sudan was one point away from slaying the American basketball dragon."Â
A "late bucket" from LeBron James cost South Sudan the match, losing 101-100, and on Wednesday, South Sudan lost 103-86 to the U.S. But the players "won the hearts of the South Sudanese people and many people around the world."Â
The South Sudan team is "amazing," said Team USA coach Steve Kerr. "You think about what that team has had to overcome to qualify for the Olympics — the violence, the strife in their country, all the obstacles. It's an incredible story."Â
"This moment gives us the feeling that we have finally arrived on the global stage," said Dok. Although most "cannot locate South Sudan on a map," they won't forget the Bright Stars. |