Luol Deng

“I don't play for recognition.”

“Egypt was tough without our parents. My brothers and sisters had to work day by day, and every time they collected a pay cheque, they brought it into the house and put it on the table. That's how we lived.”

“In England, I'm just another tall guy!”

“Every single team that I've played for, every single person would tell you that I've given it everything every single day.”

“We had a court, and my brothers would play outdoors, with rims barely hanging in there.”

“London is where I grew up, and I know it better than any other place.”

“Man, I hate vegetables.”

“You always - as a basketball player, as a competitor - that's where you speak most: on the court.”

“Men from my tribe in Sudan - the Dinka tribe - are very tall, so you could say I was born to play basketball.”

“I know I make a lot of money, but for me - I came from nothing, so it's always been about the love of the game.”

“Throughout my career, I've never really been a guy who created drama or wanted to deal with drama.”

“I try to let my highs not be too high and my lows not be too low. And I do that just because I try to control my emotions.”

“I always believe every team that wins has to go through some things.”

“Earlier in my career, a lot of guys wanted individual numbers and to do well individually.”

“I have friends who ended up playing professionally in the Middle East and Europe.”

“I grew up in Brixton as a young teenager playing basketball for the Brixton Topcats, which marked the beginning of my career.”

“When you have a new coach, a couple new guys, and a young team, the frustrating part throughout the year is the up and down.”

“It is just a great honour to be representing Great Britain.”

“I'm a big believer in that I'm here for a reason, and I don't want to forget where I'm from.”

“I think everyone in this league should aim to become good enough to shoot for the MVP. Not everyone can do it, but you've gotta try your hardest.”