“Much Bigger Than Basketball For Us”- Wenyen Gabriel Reflects On What It Means For South Sudan To Play A Match Against Team USA

Wenyen Gabriel, Team USAWenyen Gabriel (Photo by James Fearn/Getty Images)

Team USA defeated South Sudan 101-100 in a thrilling pre-Olympic exhibition game in London, England, on Saturday after coming back from a critical deficit. South Sudan controlled the game for more than half of it and had a chance to win in the end. This was South Sudan’s first appearance in the Olympics after gaining independence only 13 years ago. Wenyen Gabriel, a South Sudan forward, scored 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. In a post-game interview, Gabriel reflected on what it means for South Sudan to play a match against Team USA.

“Trying to put respect in our name and to get our country respected. To know that we don’t have any indoor basketball courses in our country. We don’t have anything like that. We’re a bunch of refugees that came together for a few weeks out of the year and are over here trying our best, playing against some of the best players ever.” Gabriel said.

“This is much bigger than basketball for us. To show people that we can compete and understand that hoops in Africa are something of the future. It’s only a matter of time before the next generation gets built up.” Gabriel added.

Wenyen Gabriel Explores Opportunities for Young Athletes in South Sudan vs. Wealthy Nations

Gabriel further talked about the difference between the opportunities accessible to young athletes in South Sudan and those in more affluent nations. He shared an experience from a trip to South Sudan where he encountered a 7-foot-tall boy feeding animals because he was unable to pursue basketball.

“I grew up in the States, a lot of us grew up in Australia, and some people grew up in Canada. Just having those different opportunities is what made us able to compete at this level. There’s some tall kid back in the village. We’ve gone through a lot. Every single year, we’ve seen a lot of bloodshed. For us to have something to come together, we need to stop with tribalism and look at each other like we’re different. It’s a small country.” Gabriel said.

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There are only 11 million people in South Sudan. But today, we were all able to be united as one. And we just hope that we continue to do different things in the future to be united, to keep building our country so one day we can be really proud of saying that we’re from South Sudan.” Gabriel added.

South Sudan’s first Olympic game will take place on 28 July against Puerto Rico. It will be captivating to witness the Olympic debut of the team