Luol Deng further cemented himself as the best British basketball player of all-time last night, being named to the 2012 NBA All Star game in Orlando on February 26.
"Words can't describe how happy I am to make my first all star," Deng posted on Twitter shortly after being named an All-Star. "Thanks to all my supporters especially the coaches who voted for me. #honored."
For the first time since 1997, the Chicago Bulls will send two players to the NBA All-Star Game, as Deng will join his point guard, Derrick Rose, who last week was voted into the game by the fans as a starter.
Deng is averaging 16 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting almost 44 percent from the field in 21 games for the Bulls. The veteran small forward has missed seven games this season because of a torn ligament in his left wrist, but he has put up 16.3 points per game in his last three contests since returning from the injury. The Bulls were 4-3 without Deng in the lineup.
Doctors told Deng to rest four to six weeks before returning, but he badly wanted to return to the lineup and came back two weeks ahead of schedule. He produces on both ends of the court on a game-to-game basis and is a player whom Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau probably most depends on, as the 23-year-old is averaging 38 minutes per night, good for third-best in the league.
Now, with the Bulls sitting atop the Eastern Conference at 22-6, Deng is an All-Star.