It was a game that received a lot of attention from both Africans in the diaspora and Africans on the continent or better still, the motherland. In the end, South Sudan lost their much-awaited encounter with 16-time champions, the USA 103-86 at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The Bright Stars came up against the star-studded Americans hoping for an upset after their close 101-100 in a pre-tournament match-up in London.
But it was Lebrone James and co who took the early initiative from the first quarter, with Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo racking up an individual and team-high 18 points and seven rebounds.
Nuni Omot led the honours for South Sudan, with a game-high 24 points on a memorable night for the youngest African nation.
Meanwhile, South Sudan needs a result in their Group C game against Serbia to qualify for the quarter-finals. The Americans, who have already qualified for the knockouts, play Puerto Rico on Saturday.
