By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
Former NBA player Luol Deng announced his retirement on Thursday. He played 15 NBA seasons.
He has retired as a member of the Chicago Bulls. He began his career with the franchise.
“We’re very fortunate and humbled that Luol has chosen to retire as a Chicago Bull,” said President and Chief Operating Officer Michael Reinsdorf. “He was a role model on and off the court during his nine-plus years in Chicago, and he gave everything he had to help us win. I want to thank Luol for not only what he accomplished on the court for the team, but also for the leadership he demonstrated through his philanthropic efforts.”
The 34-year-old Wau, South Sudan native, who played college basketball at Duke, was the seventh overall pick by the Bulls in the 2004 NBA Draft. He spent a decade with the Bulls franchise.
“From the moment we made Luol Deng the seventh overall pick of the 2004 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls became a better team,” said Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson. “Luol carried himself with first-class professionalism and leadership, helping lead his Bulls team to eight playoff appearances during his time in Chicago. We’ll always remember his All-Star career and the fierce competitiveness he brought to both ends of the floor every night.”
After leaving the Bulls, he played for the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Minnesota Timberwolves. His final season came during the 2018-19 season with the Timberwolves.
The Bulls will honor Deng at a date to be determined during the season. In a move to allow Deng to sign with the franchise, the team released Perrion Callandret.
In his career, he appeared in 902 games, including 828 starts. He averaged 14.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.5 blocks in 34.3 minutes per game.
The Capital Sports Report 