Luol Deng

2011-2012
Successful season with Chicago Bulls underlined by his first All-Star appearance - becoming the first ever British NBA All-Star. Luol Deng also received second team All-Defensive team honors, but his season ended in the first round of the playoffs against the Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers. In his eighth year in the league the small forward averaged 15 points, 3 assists and 7 rebounds per game.

2010-2011
Deng is asked by head coach Tom Thibodeau to work on his three point range over the offseason…As Luol Deng becomes a more comfortable three point shooter, he starts to gain a new kind of respect from players and coaches all over the league. The 6’9 forward is named by Dime Magazine “The Most Underrated Player in the League” as he averages 17 points and 6 rebounds for the season. Unfortunately, the Bulls’ championship dreams end in the Eastern Conference Finals against Lebron James and the Miami Heat. Scores his career high of 40 points against the Portland Trailblazers on November 1st 2010.

2009-2010
After averaging over 17 points and grabbing 7 boards per game for the season Deng suffers an injury in late March but is able to come back for the playoffs where his 19 points per contest were not enough to go past the Cleveland Cavaliers.

2008-2009
Signs a 6-year, 71 million$ contract extension with the Chicago Bulls. He goes on to average 14 points and 6 rebounds. The Bulls made the playoffs but lost to the Boston Celtics in a nail biting seven game series where four of those games had to be decided by over time. Deng failed to play in the playoffs due to injury.

2007-2008
Missed 19 games because of injury (achilles tendonitis). Averaged 17 points and 6 rebounds… Despite Deng’s notable averages, the Bulls failed to reach the playoffs.

2006-2007
Started all 82 games and led his team in minutes with 37.5. The Sudan native averages a career high of 19 points per game. Throughout the year Luol Deng receives numerous sportsmanship awards. The Bulls eventually fall to the Detroit Pistons in the Playoffs in 6 games.

2005-2006
Scores 14 points and grabs 7 boards per game for the Bulls who after making the playoffs lose to the eventual champions Miami Heat.

2004-2005
Selected 7th overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2004 NBA Draft but is immediately shipped to Chicago. An outstanding rookie season later stained by a season ending injury, Deng averages 12 points per game and makes the All-Rookie First team. The Bulls make the playoffs but lose to eventual NBA Champions Detroit Pistons in 6 games.

2003-2004
At Duke, Luol Deng averaged 15 points per game and was one of ten freshmen in the Atlantic Coast Conference history to lead all freshman in points, rebounds and assists. The Blue Devils reached the Final Four but lost to eventual champions Connecticut. The United States Basketball Writers Association awarded Deng with the National freshman of the year trophy. He declared for the NBA draft after one season. Before joining the Blue Devils, Deng was a McDonald’s All-American and ranked as the 2nd best player in America behind LeBron James.