The Chicago Bulls will honor former All-Star swingman Luol Deng during Wednesday night's game against the Detroit Pistons after Deng signed a 1-day contract to retire as a member of the Bulls in October.
Deng told Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic that he wants to be remembered for someone that was a good teammate and a philanthropic person off the floor, and that he hopes to be cherished for the person that he was just as much as the player that he was in Chicago:
Luol Deng on how he wants his Bulls career to be remembered. pic.twitter.com/XuCIOWGoQA
— Darnell Mayberry (@DarnellMayberry) November 21, 2019
Deng helped to usher in a new era of basketball in Chicago.
The Bulls selected the Sudanese forward out of Duke University with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. Deng was promptly named to the All-Rookie First Team, and the Bulls made the playoffs after a 24-win improvement.
Deng would become one of Chicago's most valuable players, a do-it-all forward that could score, rebound and defend at a very high level. He averaged 16.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists in nine-plus years with the Bulls. Deng made consecutive All-Star teams in 2012 and 2013 before he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014.
But Deng is also right in that he will be remembered for being an outstanding teammate and tremendous ambassador for the game. He helped to take the lead in pushing Basketball Without Borders into Africa, even organizing a historic exhibition in South Africa in 2015.
The Bulls owe Deng quite a bit of gratitude for all of his contributions to the franchise and the game of basketball, and they will recognize him on Wednesday night.
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