Deng will always be thankful for opportunities

Tasmania JackJumpers forward Majok Deng never imagined he could achieve what he has in basketball including winning an NBL championship or representing South Sudan at the Olympics but it all comes back to respect and being thankful for your opportunities.

While things have certainly turned out well for Deng on a basketball front and he's thankful to everyone who's helped him out along the way especially long-term coaches Joey Wright, Mike Kelly, Adam Forde and Scott Roth, he wants to make sure his own children have a lot more support from an early age.

Nothing ever came easily for Deng growing up and because he didn’t pick up basketball until late into his teenage years, he was always playing catch up to a degree but was able to find his feet in college, and then had great NBL success since in Adelaide, Cairns and Tasmania.

He is now a 275-game veteran of the NBL, was a key member of the JackJumpers NBL24 championship team and went ever so close to starring in a 36ers championship back in NBL18 too, and was also a crucial part of a Taipans team that in NBL20 made an inspired playoff run.

Deng also got to live out something that was never even possible until 2024 when he played for South Sudan at the Paris Olympic Games, and at 32 years of age, he is still playing as well as ever for the JackJumpers and there's no end to his career in sight.

FINDING HOME WITH JACKJUMPERS

It was difficult at the time for Deng's now JackJumpers coach Roth to comprehend he was still on the open market ahead of the NBL24 season following three years with the 36ers and four with the Taipans.

However, that proved to be the JackJumpers gain and he immediately became a key member of the front court instrumental in that championship run, and has remained a crucial part of the team since.

Deng has fully embraced life in Tasmania and being part of the JackJumpers culture ever since as he nears the end of a third season.

"It's turned out so well because when I left Cairns I did find myself without a contract and that was the situation I was in, but to come down here and obviously as a player, you always want to be where you're wanted and appreciated," Deng said.

"Me coming here is like something I did not think was going to be possible because every time I had come to Tassie before that, it was never really a place I could see myself playing at.

"But you get to Tassie and you get to live there and you get to appreciate not just because of the club, but the people in general. I like it here in Tassie now, I've obviously made a home for myself and it's been great so far."

GIVING KIDS THEIR BEST OPPORTUNITY

While Deng continues to enjoy everything about being a professional basketballer and still has plenty of time left in his career, and is rightfully proud of what he's achieved, ultimately it's all about providing the best life for his family with he and wife Nyre having a son and daughter together.

After Deng himself had to overcome plenty growing up having been born in South Sudan and ending up settling in Adelaide with his family, he just wants to make sure his children are given the opportunities to chase their dreams – no matter what they are.

"It will definitely be a lot different for my kids than it was for me because when I was coming up through the juniors, obviously I started playing basketball pretty late in the under 18s which is super late for most cases," Deng said.

"Everything you got you had to earn and obviously not having a lot of support system was the major factor when I was growing up, but now for me to be there for my kids when I'm retired, that's something that I will really take into account.

"I'll just try to make sure they're not in the same position that I was and give them every opportunity that they can.

"That will be with whatever sport they might play, that's what I will give them, and even if they don't want to play sport, I will support them and I want to make sure I can help them have what I didn’t have growing up. That's something that I'm really looking forward to and am excited about."

APPRECIATING EARLY OPPORTUNITIES FROM WRIGHT

Deng is now in his 10th season playing in the NBL and what stands out above everything else from the coaches he had is how much they all love him.

Whether it was starting with Wright with Adelaide, or Kelly and Forde in Cairns and now Roth for almost three full seasons with the JackJumpers, his coaches have nothing but the best things to say about him.

Deng wanted to play basketball professionally following his college career with the University of Louisiana at Monroe, but had no guarantees until it was a dream come true when he was able to come home to Adelaide and sign up with the 36ers.

What he found with Wright as his coach was someone that not only backed him, but who taught him lessons that continue to ring true to this very day.

"It started with Joey and no matter what I will always give him credit for who I am today especially with my career in the NBL," Deng said.

"A lot of things that he taught me even just being on the court and if you're having a bad game, trying not to think about that and he always says to not evaluate yourself while playing.

"That's something that he says you can always do after the game finishes so that right there is something that I will always appreciate of him and he's a great basketball mind, he's smart.

"Even though back then I was a lot younger and some of the things I didn’t really agree with him when I was a guy just coming out of college with a great resume especially with the way I finished my senior year, and coming in to being a professional and adjusting to that, and getting some playing time.

"I was playing under some great players in Daniel Johnson and Mitch Creek, and those guys, and Joey was trying to find ways to insert me there and use me to my strengths and just let me be myself. That's something I will always appreciate."

BEING TREATED WITH RESPECT

After those three seasons with the Sixers, Deng spent the next four years in Cairns with the first two of those with Kelly as coach before two under Forde, and what continues to stand out for him is treating others how he wants to be treated.

He treats everybody with the utmost of respect whether that's teammates, opponents, supporters or indeed his coaches, and what has stood out about the coaches he's had in the NBL is that they might push him hard and demand a lot from him, but also treat him the respect he gives them.

"It's a similar thing with Mike Kelly, he gave me an opportunity and believed in me, and took me in when I was looking for a new home when my time was up in Adelaide," Deng said.

"So I will always appreciate what he did for me and I still talk to him to this day just like I do with Joey.

"For me it comes down to treating people with respect and basketball is always going to be a sport at the end of the day, but as a human being I believe you have to treat people the right way.

"Those guys are your coach between the lines, but off the court you need to treat people with respect and that's something that i will always hold high and it's something that I was taught a lot growing up.

"Coming from a big family, that kinda helps a lot when they can see those values for me and that might be why those guys have nice things to say about me and my character.

"I don't take it for granted and I always make sure that I'm that person off the court because it's bigger than basketball really."

AMAZING OLYMPICS APPEARANCE

It wasn’t even a dream come true what Deng got to experience back in 2024 at the Paris Olympic Games because for the majority of his life it's never even been a possibility to think about playing on that sort of stage representing his nation.

For most of Deng's life, South Sudan never had their own national basketball team and as a result he'd never let himself dream of going to somewhere like the Olympics, but that also led to a remarkable life experience.

Deng became part of the run that South Sudan made to qualify for Paris 2024 and then made the team that created history which will forever be one of his most unexpected and cherished life highlights that came along with fellow NBL players Bul Kuol and Sunday Dech.

"I couldn’t have even dreamed about it three years let alone at any other point in my career, I never ever thought I would play in the Olympics," Deng said.

"Firstly because when I was coming up in basketball ranks South Sudan didn’t have a team and Basketball Australia is just full of great, amazing players and I could never see myself in that space playing for the Boomers.

"Then for South Sudan to get a team and get a chance to go to the Olympics, it was a dream that I really never had but it's something that I'll forever be grateful for.

"I will always give credit to Luol Deng and the people in the federation for coming along and putting the team together, and actually running it to where we got a chance to not only represent ourselves, but the whole nation.

"The whole vision was to bring the whole country together and that's something to play for under one flag, and it doesn’t matter what tribe or wherever you're coming from.

"That was the whole thing and I think we achieved that, and the only to keep going forward is to make sure we are representing the flag and your family, and whole nation, and that's something I will never take for granted and am grateful for."

LIFE AFTER BASKETBALL

Now that Deng is about to complete three years living in Hobart on the back of four years in Cairns and then a lot of his life in Adelaide either side of college, he's not quite sure where he and his young family will settle beyond his professional playing career.

There's every chance there's still a few years before he has to worry about that, but ultimately the decision will be made on what's best for his children.

There's a good chance that despite all that Hobart offers, it might be somewhere with a bit of a warmer climate.

"It won't probably be Tassie where I end up living with my family if I'm being honest," Deng said.

"Obviously growing up in Adelaide means that's always going to be a home for me so when I'm done playing it will depend on my kids more than anything.

"They are starting to play a lot of sport now so if they continue to play sport later on as they grow, it will be good for them to be in a bigger city really.

"It is more likely going to be Adelaide or Brisbane I would say, that's where a lot of my family members are in both those cities and I'm kinda like a warm weather kind of person. It's just going to be where it will give my kids the best opportunities in the sport aspect of it."