Luol Deng: Great Britain chief to talk to star on return
Last updated on .From the section Basketball
New Great Britain basketball chair Nick Humby says he will "reach out" to Miami Heat star Luol Deng to try to convince him to return to the team.
Deng, 30, admitted to the BBC in December that he may not play for Great Britain again after its UK Sport funding was cut.
"We will have a dialogue and see what it takes to get him back involved in the sport in Britain," said Humby.
Britain compete in EuroBasket 2017 qualification in August.
After appearing for the team at London 2012, Deng was unable to play during EuroBasket 2015 qualifying as British Basketball - which lost £7m of funding in February 2014 - could not afford to insure him.
| Luol Deng in numbers | ||
|---|---|---|
| Career statistics | NBA (12 full seasons) | Great Britain |
| Games played | 777 | 42 |
| Points | 12,148 (15.6 per game) | 900 (21.4 per game) |
| Rebounds | 4,781 (6.2) | 287 (6.8) |
| Assists | 1,849 (2.4) | 148 (3.5) |
"That is a big cost and that is a problem we will have to solve," said Humby.
"I know he says that he has no will to play - we will talk to him.
"I hope he will play again for Britain. He would make a huge difference to our sport and that has to be our ambition."
Deng, who came to Britain as a refugee from South Sudan before moving to the United States as a teenager, funds a basketball school of excellence in Brixton, south London, close to where he grew up.
