On July 21, in this morning’s warm-up game, the South Sudan men’s basketball team lost to the USA men’s team by a narrow margin of 100-101, causing a stir worldwide.
After the game, Gabriel, a South Sudan national player and former Lakers player, told reporters, “Most people in the world don’t even know about our country. Today we got an opportunity to show the world what we’re capable of. I want my name and my country’s name to be respected. I’m proud of my teammates.
South Sudan has no indoor basketball courts; we are just a group of refugees who take a few weeks out of our year to compete against some of the best players in the world. African basketball represents the future. Although South Sudan has only 11 million people, we are very united. There are many more kids like us there who just haven’t had this opportunity; they might have to make a living herding cows and fishing. We are building this country in our own way, hoping that one day we can proudly say, ‘We are from South Sudan.’”
Former Lakers Player Gabriel: South Sudan Has No Indoor Basketball Courts—We Are Just a Group of Refugees Trying to Compete with the World. Author：Sports UEFA.Please indicate the source when reproduced：https://www.sportsuefa.com/basketball-headlines/former-lakers-player-gabriel-south-sudan-has-no-indoor-basketball-courts-we-are-just-a-group-of-refugees-trying-to-compete-with-the-world.html
