Deng Gai (born March 22, 1982) is a South Sudanese former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. A power forward, he briefly played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and in several other leagues. Gai was the 2005 NCAA Division I men's basketball season blocks leader.

Early life

Gai fled from Sudan in 1999 as a refugee due to the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policie ...

. He travelled by train and a crude boat over a three-day trek to Egypt. Gai arrived in the United States and settled in Fairfield, Connecticut.

College basketball

After attending Milford Academy in Connecticut, Gai played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athle ...

at Fairfield University (also in the state), where he was a three-time MAAC Defensive Player of the Year and took the Stags to the MAAC semifinals in 2005. Gai graduated as number eight on the NCAA's all-time

blocked shots In basketball, a block or blocked shot occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a field goal attempt from an offensive player to prevent a score. The defender is not allowed to make contact with the offensive player's hand (unless the de ...

list. As a senior, Gai was named first team All-MAAC, leading the nation in blocks (5.5 bpg) while blocking 10 or more shots in three contests.

Professional basketball

Gai declared for the NBA Draft in 2004, but ultimately withdrew his name. He was signed as a free agent by the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

in 2005. After playing in only two regular-season games for the team, Gai was waived in December 2005. He then briefly played for the

USBL The United States Basketball League (USBL) was a professional men's spring basketball league. The league was formed in 1985 and ceased operations in 2008. The USBL started in 1985 as one of the first basketball leagues to play a late-spring to ...

Dodge City Legend The Dodge City Legend was a professional basketball franchise located in Dodge City, Kansas in the United States Basketball League, a minor league that played in the spring. The Legend won three USBL titles, in 2000, its first season, 2003 and in ...

and the ABA's

Wilmington Sea Dawgs The Wilmington Sea Dawgs are a professional basketball team and founding member of the Tobacco Road Basketball League. The team is based in Wilmington, North Carolina, and began play in 2006 as a member of the American Basketball Association. Th ...

. Subsequently, Gai, who had been drafted in 2005 by the CBA's

Albany Patroons The Albany Patroons are a professional basketball team that plays in The Basketball League (TBL). Previously, the team competed in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and in the United States Basketball League (USBL). The Patroons won ...

(2nd round, 10th overall), played for the team in the USBL, leading it in blocks. At the end of the season, he was named to the league's All-Defensive Team. In 2007-08, Gai represented Poland's

Śląsk Wrocław Wrocławski Klub Sportowy Śląsk Wrocław Spółka Akcyjna, commonly known as WKS Śląsk Wrocław, Śląsk Wrocław () or simply Śląsk, is a Polish football club based in Wrocław that plays in Ekstraklasa, the highest level of the Polish f ...

, but the team folded after that season.

Personal life

Gai has nine siblings. He is a cousin of fellow NBA player

Luol Deng Luol Ajou Deng (born 16 April 1985) is a British former professional basketball player. He was a two-time NBA All-Star and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2012. Born in what is now South Sudan, Deng fled the country with his ...

.https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gaide01.html Deng Gai NBA Stats , Basketball-Reference.com

References

External links