10 Famous People You Never Knew Were Refugees

6. Luol Deng

Professional basketballer, Luol Deng, currently plays for the Miami Heat, but before he reached stardom in the US, Deng was a Sudanese refugee. When he was young, his father, a member of the Sudanese parliament, moved the family to Egypt to escape the Second Sudanese Civil War. In Egypt, they met former NBA center Manute Bol who taught Deng and his older brother how to play basketball. When the family was granted political asylum, they emigrated to Brixton, South London. Deng moved to the United States at 14 to pursue basketball. He attended Duke University for one year, before entering the NBA draft in 2004. He was picked up by the Chicago Bulls and played for them until 2014 when he was traded to Cleveland. He currently plays as a small forward for Miami.