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South Sudan made their Olympic basketball debut on Sunday against Puerto Rico in Group C of the men's tournament. The youngest nation in the world used hot shooting from beyond the arc and controlling the rebound to beat Los Gallos 90-79 in Lille, France.
Carlik Jones led the way with 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists after shooting 7-for-15 from the field. Marial Shayok added 15 points, while Nuni Omot and JT Thor each scored 12 points. Wenyen Gabriel put up five points, nine rebounds and two blocks.
Puerto Rico came out firing in the first half, led by Jose Alvarado, who suffered a right ankle injury in the dwindling moments of the second quarter. Alvarado played in the second half, but he was just limited to seven points and was enduring the pain from his injury.
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Basketball fans from around the world celebrated South Sudan's success in their debut at the Olympics. They have been making some noise over the past few years and even almost defeated Team USA in an exhibition game earlier this month.
"They not like US," a fan wrote, referencing Kendrick Lamar's viral diss track.
"Congrats on your first Olympic victory well deserved," another fan replied.
"Such a splendid introduction to the international stage. Congratulations! one fan responded.
South Sudan became a nation on July 9, 2011, and it took them just two years to join FIBA. Former NBA player Luol Deng became president of the nation's basketball federation and poured his own money to help. Deng also brought Royal Ivey as head coach and it has been a hit with wins on their World Cup and Olympics debuts.
"This is how you do it on big stage, let's go!" a fan opined.
"SSD ON TO THE next one," one fan commented.
"Congratulations to the Nile Giants," another fan remarked.
South Sudan makes history with first Olympic win
According to FIBA, South Sudan became the first African team since 2012 to win its Olympics debut. It joined the Central African Republic in 1988 and Nigeria in 2012 as the only teams to ever do it.
Players and coaches celebrated the historic win with their fans in attendance. Forward Nuni Omot could not contain his excitement and happiness after a landmark victory, not just for their nation, but for the entire continent.
"There's nothing like making history. That is all we've been doing. Making history. More history. It's a blessing. I'm just very happy and excited to be a part of it. We earned this. Everybody deserves it," Omot said.
South Sudan got some much-needed momentum heading into their next game, which is against Team USA. They will then end the group stage with a showdown versus Nikola Jokic and Serbia. If they can finish in the top two, they will qualify for the quarterfinals.
